Monster
by Poe's Daughter
Summary: When Frost returns to the Lin Kuei to begin life anew, Olivia is less than thrilled by the prospect of living with her psychotic aunt, and does not believe the woman has changed. But when Reiko returns and enslaves Grandmaster Sub-Zero with blood magik, these women must find a way to come together to stop him before he reaches Shinnok's amulet and destroys the world.
1. Homecoming

**Author's Note: As it turns out, retirement is boring. What it really amounted to was that I needed a decent break from writing. But now that the holidays are over, and friends like en-lumine have been sweet-talking me, I'm up for working on a new project. Welcome! To readers both new and old, I hope you enjoy the adventure I've got planned this time around. Please feel free to offer up any constructive criticism you have for me, both positive and negative. I don't care if you think your opinion is dumb, it makes my day to get those reviews. So please, don't be shy! I'm here for it all :)**

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In the early afternoon on a March day, a wind rose over Arctika. North and east the wind blew as the cold sun barely climbed above the horizon to a dim but cloudless sky, north and east through mountainous glaciers and rolling drifts, scattering snow into a hazy mist that diffused into a white halo over the vast arctic island. Onward the wind traveled, eventually pounding an ancient arch of finely worked stone that some said had been a gateway to Outworld eons ago, when Earthrealm was still very young, that others thought was merely one of many monuments here that paid tribute to the Elder God, Himavat. Only weathered, illegible remnants of carvings remained on the arch, mutely recalling its true purpose.

Young Olivia Sullivan, aged twenty-one, marched through that archway and up the steps to the Temple of the Lin Kuei, returning home after a long month spent tracking a Black Dragon snake called Kira, who'd fled to the remote Arctic after she'd brutally murdered a squadron of Army Rangers. General Blade had sought the Lin Kuei's help when Kira unwittingly crossed into their territory, and Grandmaster Sub-Zero, Olivia's father, sent her to assist with the efforts. Initially, Kira had been clever and never stopped moving from one abandoned whaling town to the next, always covering her tracks well. But eventually, she made a grave mistake by traveling inland away from the sea with no real supplies to speak of, and when Olivia and the Rangers finally caught up to her, she was delirious and nearly dead from hypothermia. It had been easy to arrest her from there.

But now, Olivia was just glad to be home.

She slid into the Temple, nodding respectfully at Sherman and Gat, who were on guard duty that day, but saying nothing as she walked by. At that time of day, there were precious few people to be seen as most were in class, either as teachers or as students. But she nodded at the few she did see, even cracking a smile for the younger children who were excited to see her return. Olivia's path led her first to the infirmary where she knew her mother would be working, and as she predicted, Anya was examining one of the newest recruits to the Lin Kuei, a boy named Jacobi, an orphan the Seekers found in Italy. She had a temporal probe pressed to his head, clearly taking his temperature.

"Wow…" her mother said sarcastically, feigning amazement. "110 degrees." She crossed her arms and looked at Jacobi with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know whether to baste you or have the Grandmaster ice you down."

At the door, still unnoticed by the Hydromancer, Olivia inwardly laughed as she remembered a similar conversation with her mother several years prior. "The Grandmaster is probably busy," she said, stepping completely into the infirmary. "But I can do it if you want."

Jacobi's eyes went as wide as saucers as Anya now grinned at her daughter. She then looked at her patient once more. "Spill it," she ordered. "What's going on? Why do you want to get out of class?"

"I don't, _Signora_!" he protested. "I swear."

"Really." It was a statement, not a question. She was clearly unmoved. "I'm _totally_ convinced you didn't put a hot towel on your head."

Sensing his own defeat, the boy hung his head down. "I'm not so good with languages," he finally confessed in a thick, Italian accent. "The other kids...they think I'm... _idiota_."

"I'm sure they don't think that," Olivia told him as Anya sighed and sat beside him on the table.

"Caleb makes jokes at me because I can't understand Japanese."

Now Olivia crossed her arms. "Well, you just remind Caleb that he can barely understand it himself. _And_ I've taught him before. His roundhouse kicks need a lot of work too. And you can tell him I said so."

"Olivia," her mother said, but the Elite only shrugged.

"Hey, don't feel bad," the Cryomancer continued. "I lived in Japan for a little while and I still have trouble understanding it. You'll get it eventually."

"I don't think so," he said.

Anya lightly shook her head. "Just do your best," she told Jacobi. "That's all the Grandmaster wants from you. Now go to class."

" _Si_ , _Signora_ ," he reluctantly agreed. He gathered his books and quietly walked out of the infirmary.

Now Anya turned to Olivia and threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Oh, I missed you," she said as she earnestly rubbed her back and patted her shoulders. Then she pulled away and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I was worried about you the whole time."

"I was okay," the Cryomancer reported. "The whole trip was pretty uneventful, actually. I'm kind of disappointed by the decided lack of action. She didn't even put up much of a fight. To be fair, though, she was almost dead, so..."

"You could've called," Anya admonished.

Olivia arched her eyebrow. "Sorry, my cell phone couldn't get a signal," she teased. "It was like there were no cell phone towers anywhere this far north. What's _that_ about?"

"Okay, okay, Miss Smarty Pants," Anya rolled her eyes and put the probe in a drawer. "I'm entitled to a blond moment once in a while."

"Just once in a while?" she replied. "I'm sure it's more than that."

Her mother dropped her chin and narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to thump you, child," she replied, her voice betraying mild amusement. It prompted Olivia to laugh at her, so she then said, "Go find your father. He'll appreciate your jokes a lot more than I do."

"Where is he?" she grinned as her mom playfully pushed her shoulder.

"I think he said something about taking Sam's class outside to meditate," she replied.

"Okay." She turned to leave, but her mom stopped her.

"Olivia?" she said.

"Yeah?"

Her mother faintly smiled at her, her lavender eyes sparkling with joy and serenity. "Welcome home."

The Cryomancer smiled back. "Thanks," she said. Then she hugged her mother one more time.

After Olivia left the infirmary, she headed outside to the frozen courtyard where her father sometimes took his students to train. She emerged through the east doors into the frigid, Arctic air and spotted him immediately in front of the icy statue of Himavat, kneeling with the fifteen and sixteen year old apprentices on the ground, her sister included among them in the last row. Sam glanced up as her sister walked down the stairs, and a broad grin split her face in two. Happily, she waved at Olivia, who impatiently shook her head and rolled her eyes, but waved back as well before she put her fingers to her lips and then pointed to their father directly in front of the statue. Sam's smile faded but she nodded her understanding and then returned to her meditation before she earned a reprimand for not concentrating.

Now Olivia smiled when she saw the Grandmaster kneeling in front of his students, the little girl inside of her longing to run to her daddy to greet him with a hug. That's how it had been since Reiko had kidnapped her and dragged her to Outworld three years ago; she'd developed a much greater love and appreciation for him during her ordeal, and now she hated to be apart from him for any length of time. She was honored that he had asked her to assist General Blade, but she had missed him terribly this past month. But now, rather than obey her overwhelming and childish urges, she calmly stepped down the stairs and walked quietly to him, her long fur-trimmed coat lightly scraping the ground.

She said nothing as she joined his side and knelt beside him, closing her eyes, and for a long moment, he said nothing either. But finally, he softly murmured, "You're late."

Olivia frowned. "I got held up in traffic," she drily remarked, also keeping her voice a low whisper. "Stupid seals need to learn how to move out of the way when I'm coming."

That elicited a soft laugh from him. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at her. "I'm glad you're home," he told her, cupping her cheek. Then, he tucked a lock of her stark white hair behind her ear.

She wrapped her fingers around his hand and squeezed. His hand warmed her frozen one. "Me too." Sighing in contentment, she smiled back at him and then closed her eyes once more.

Several minutes passed by in peace as they meditated, but that peace was abruptly interrupted when the Grandmaster unexpectedly climbed to his feet and addressed his class. With his stern, intimidating gaze, he surveyed them all. They, in turn, looked up at him in reverent, curious respect.

"You have done well today," he praised them. "To reward you, I'm ending class early. You may quietly enjoy a little free time between now and your next class."

Smiles erupted on their faces, prompting Olivia to smile at them as well. She joined her father's side as the teenagers silently got to their feet and bowed to their Grandmaster, beating their fist on their heart as always in the Lin Kuei show of respect. Then, with the exception of Sam, they all filed back into the Temple one by one in an orderly, disciplined fashion like her father always expected.

Sam, meanwhile, ran to Olivia and their father. "You're home," she beamed.

"Thankfully," she said as she hugged the fifteen year old and then the three of them started walking back into the Temple. "I thought we were never gonna catch that lunatic."

"I take it your mission was successful?" the Grandmaster asked her, curious.

"Yeah, we caught her," she shrugged, draping her arm over Sam's shoulder. "She finally tripped up."

"How so?" he replied.

"For some stupid reason, she thought she was going to try to go inland," she said.

"Well, that was retarded," Sam said. "Didn't she know that's a good way to die?"

"She wasn't prepared for it at all," Olivia agreed. "She's probably lucky we found her when we did. She wouldn't have made it through the night."

"I know," her father said. "I know all of this."

"Oh, you do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He'd probably sent a squadron of Elites out to watch her. "How?"

"General Blade called me earlier to let me know you were on your way home so that we could watch for you," he said, surprising her. "She told me everything."

Olivia shrugged and tilted her face up to look up at the Grandmaster. Wings of snow white hair framed his stern face. "It was pretty routine, Dad," she said, meeting his sapphire eyes. "To be honest, I think they could've done it without me."

"She doesn't think so," he told her. "She was very impressed with how well you tracked the fugitive through the snow, and how professionally you conducted yourself on the expedition. She said you were integral to their success here in Arctika."

"General _Blade_ said that about me?" she asked, puzzled. "I was certain she hated me."

"Far from it, it would seem," he said. "She's forming a special group of fighters to defend Earthrealm. She invited you to join them."

Olivia stiffened. "Oh," she said. His announcement flattered her. But after her ordeal in Outworld, she never wanted to leave the Lin Kuei again. Every time she thought about it, even for a short while to go on a mission, a strange feeling overwhelmed her...like she'd not only miss the people she loved but she'd miss the person she was now at this time and this place, because she knew she'd never be this way ever again. It was something she'd never shared with her father - she knew such sentiments made her look childish and immature.

"The news doesn't please you?" he asked, raising his eyebrow in puzzlement.

She shrugged, disinclined to explain her feelings. "It was nice of her to invite me, Dad, but I'm happy where I am."

The corner of his mouth lifted up ever-so-slightly. "Well, Livy, why don't you think about it for a while before you make a decision?" She said nothing, only turned her face from his and looked ahead, and now the Grandmaster addressed her sister. "Samantha," he said, "I wish to speak to Olivia alone in my office."

"Yes, Daddy," the young Hydromancer said before she pulled out of her sister's grasp and walked away. Her short, stubby ponytail bounced in time with her steps.

He and Olivia then walked in silence towards his office, through the magnificent halls and past the various classrooms and training rooms, all of which were occupied by students and teachers at the moment. The silence between father and daughter was not awkward or terrifying - it was comfortable. Too many people, she'd observed since returning from Outworld, were far too impatient and insecure to be at peace with silence, and instead chose to fill it up with empty words. But she had long since discovered how holy it was, and it made her love her father even more because he preferred remaining quiet to saying something that wasn't everything it should be. She had learned she was the same.

It didn't take them long to reach his office, and when she followed him in, she was met by the smell of a library, of old, brittle parchment and stale leather binding. A small fire that he always kept going flickered inside the hearth, warming the room ever-so-slightly, casting an orange glow on the otherwise dim room. Her father immediately rectified that when he crossed the room to his desk and flicked on his lamp. Olivia peeled off her long, fur-trimmed overcoat and threw it over the back of his couch before joining him at his desk and sitting cross-legged in one of the large, leather armchairs in front of it. He, meanwhile, flopped down in his own chair before he shuffled a stack of papers to the side.

"I'm very proud of you, you know," he opened. "I was just so proud to hear General Blade gush about your performance like she did."

"But…" Olivia trailed off slowly, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

To her surprise, the Grandmaster just shook his head. "There's no 'but,' Livy," he replied. "You honored me and the Lin Kuei even more than I expected." He smiled at her as he reached across the desk and covered her hand with his large one.

"Then what do you want to talk to me about?" she wondered. "If you're going to try to convince me to go join her team, then Dad, I-" she trailed off.

"No, I'm not doing any such thing," he abruptly cut her off. "I'm not particularly anxious for you to go and join the Army. But it's _your_ decision, and I'll support you either way." He now leaned back in his chair. "No, I want to talk to you because I want you to go with me tomorrow to see your Aunt Miyuki."

Olivia's happy disposition immediately soured, and a roaring surge of anger flared from her heart. "She's not my aunt," she hissed.

Her father sighed in exasperation. "Dammit, Livy, yes she is."

"She tried to kill you more than once, and she very nearly succeeded in killing Mom on multiple occasions," the young Cryomancer argued.

"All of which happened before you were even born," he firmly reminded her. "She's been locked up since we all fought Onaga. You know that."

"I don't care," she stubbornly declared. "I'll never forgive her for it."

"If _I_ can forgive her for what she did, Livy, so can you," he replied. "Even your mother forgave her a long time ago, and she had more cause than anyone to hate her. Frost was a victim of Quan Chi's evil, just like your Uncle Bi-han was. Just like Grandmaster Hasashi was."

Olivia scoffed at that. "She _killed_ her foster father, Dad," she protested, her face burning scarlet. "Not to mention her entire village and the Earthrealm Champions' families. How was she a victim in _that_?"

"She's done awful things, Livy," he agreed. "But she's spent her life since then atoning for them. Her guilt haunts her and punishes her more than you realize. And it's changed her. She's not the same woman she was all those years ago. And she wants to meet you. You're the only one of my children she hasn't even met yet, and it hurts her every time you don't go."

"I don't care if it hurts her or not," she snapped. "I don't ever want to meet her. She's a murderer."

"So are you," he bluntly replied. "So am I. How are we any different?"

His words were like a slap in the face. She had killed to survive, yes. But it was still killing. And it was the one thing that consistently kept her awake at nights these days. She couldn't quite get over the guilt of everything she'd done in Outworld, from killing a man to sleeping with Reiko to slitting her own throat. It was low for him to throw it in her face, especially since Miyuki - _Frost_ \- killed just for the sake of killing. Tears welled up in her eyes at that, and she furiously looked away from him as a couple of stray droplets streaked down her cheeks. Unconsciously, she rubbed the ugly, bluish scar running across her throat in a jagged line.

Her father seemed to understand he'd hit a sore spot with her, and he sighed. "I'm sorry, Livy," he softly apologized. "But do you understand my point? We've done awful things too. Things we're both ashamed of. But if _we're_ deserving of forgiveness for our sins, why isn't Miyuki?"

"Because she did it for fun," she muttered, hating herself as she wiped away the tears. Most of them caught in her throat, making it sore. She swallowed hard to force the sharp ache away.

"Well, unfortunately, Livy, this time, I'm not asking you to go," he replied. "This time I'm _forcing_ you to go. I think it'll be good for you both. Especially since she's finally being released."

Olivia whipped her head around at him. "What?" she yelped.

"The doctors at Ft. Albany contacted me yesterday," he explained. "They told me that she's ready to come home. After twenty-two years, my sister is finally able to come home." He wistfully smiled at that. "And she's coming to live with us in the Temple."

Olivia's scowl couldn't have furrowed any deeper into her face. "Are you crazy?" she snapped as she jumped to her feet. "Why can't she go live with Grammy Maggie or Uncle Bi-han? Why does she have to come _here_?"

"Because she asked to stay with us," he coolly answered. "And I'm not in the business of turning our family away when they need me."

The young Cryomancer shook her head angrily and exhaled a loud, irritated sigh. "This is bullshit," she swore under her breath.

"I don't like that language," he snapped at her.

"Well, it is," she defended. "How can you willingly and knowingly bring a homicidal maniac into the Temple? I would've thought you'd have learned after the _first_ time you made that mistake and she drove Mom away."

"You're crossing the line," he warned, now scowling too. "And this isn't up for debate. You're going with me to get her."

"No, I'm not," she argued, putting her hands on her hips, daring him to do something.

"Now, now _holčička_ ," a new voice spoke, and Olivia didn't even have to see him to know it was her uncle, Tomas, materializing from thin air. Sure enough, his form gradually filled in beside her. "This is not the way to speak to your father, even if he _is_ wrong."

"You're not helping," the Grandmaster now glared at his best friend and second-in-command.

"You say that like I was supposed to," Tomas shrugged. He now side-hugged Olivia. "How was your trip, _můj sladký anděl_?" he asked.

"It was fine until I came home and heard _this_ brilliant idea," she growled, angrily gesturing at her father. "Why didn't you stop him, Uncle?" she demanded to know. She looked up at his face, vaguely noting the deepening crow's feet around his unnaturally blue, cybernetic eyes.

"I tried, _miláčku_ ," he said. "But he's quite stubborn when he's convinced he's right."

"I can't believe this," she grumbled, crossing her arms and looking away.

"You may not like it and you may not want to do it, but you _are_ doing it, Olivia," her father sternly growled. "That's an order, not from your father but from your _Grandmaster_."

She narrowed her eyes at him and sighed. "You realize I've been away from home for a month, right?"

He frowned and rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ I do," he said. "What's your point? That the world should just stop turning simply because you just got home from a mission?"

"No, the point is that I don't want to spend my first day back at Ft. Albany's insane asylum picking up your homicidal sister!" she shouted.

"Be that as it may, you are," he calmly replied.

"How does _Mom_ feel about this?" she hissed, crossing her arms. "Or did you even run this by her before you agreed to it?"

"Nice try," he shot back, now concealing a vague smirk, "but she agrees with me."

"I'm gonna go ask her," she threatened.

"Go ahead," he retorted. "But we're leaving tomorrow for Ft. Albany at nine. And I already told Cyrax not to let you join his perimeter patrol tomorrow. So don't think you're going to slink off and hide to get out of it."

Livy swallowed hard, scowling as furiously as she ever had since before she'd been dragged to Outworld. "Well, if _that's_ the case, I'm surprised you don't have people posted to guard me and keep me from leaving the Temple between now and then."

"Who says I don't?" he challenged, and now his amusement was all-too-apparent. "Now, this discussion is over. Since you _have_ been gone for the month, I'm letting you have the rest of today off to rest. So go find something to do anywhere but here."

"Gladly," she growled. She grabbed her coat and then marched out of his office, making sure to slam the door for good measure. She heard him shout, "Olivia!" a moment later, but she didn't particularly care. He didn't follow her, and she wouldn't have stopped anyway.

Olivia stormed back towards the infirmary, wanting to know if her mother indeed knew and approved of this ridiculous, stupid plan of her father's. It was a short walk down the hall, and when she peeked in, her mother was cleaning up the main exam room, and dancing to music only she heard through her earbuds and iPod. The young Cryomancer vaguely thought how adorable Anya looked, jamming out in her Spongebob scrubs and ugly yellow Crocs, her eyes closed as she gently banged her butt into a drawer to close it.

"Send me an angel," she sang softly. "Send me an angel right now…"

"Mom?" Olivia called, but still didn't get the nurse's attention. Anya continued to dance around the infirmary, her long, glossy brown hair swinging around her gently. "Mom?" she called again, this time more loudly as she patted her shoulder.

The Hydromancer yelped and jumped a foot off the ground. "Oh, my God, Olivia!" she cried when she saw her daughter. She pulled her earbuds out and paused her iPod. "You scared me."

"Hey, you said, 'send me an angel,'" the Cryomancer replied. "Well, here I am."

Her mother narrowed her eyes in faux annoyance, but then put her stuff on the counter. "Your Uncle Tomas is rubbing off on you, and _not_ in a good way. Did you see your dad?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, I saw him," she darkly answered. She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, looking at her feet. Then she sighed out a bit of the frustration.

Anya leaned on her elbow and gently gripped her daughter's chin with her other hand, pulling her face around to look at her. "And he told you the news about Miyuki, didn't he?" she asked.

"Well, that answers _that_ question," Olivia grumbled.

Her mother, sensing the question through her touch, nodded. "Yes, Livy, he and I spent a lot of time discussing it last night after they called us to tell us they'd be releasing her," she answered. "And whether you think so or not, he was _very_ concerned about bringing her here again. He was at a loss because he knew what she'd done, especially to me, and how much you dislike her. But he didn't want to abandon her either. _I_ was ultimately the one who made the decision to let her come back."

Olivia shook her head as she blinked back angry tears. "How could you do that, Mom?" she demanded to know. "After everything she's done-"

"Nobody knows better than I do what she's done, Livy, and part of me will never get over that anger I feel about it all," Anya interrupted. Now she sighed heavily. "But...I've been in constant contact with her doctors and nurses, and I've talked to her myself several times. When she went into that facility, she was _very_ messed up. You can't begin to know how broken and destroyed she was. But I truly believe she's healed now - or, at least, as healed as someone like her can be. Between what An Zhi and Quan Chi did to her, it's nothing short of a miracle that she's come this far."

"But, Mom-"

"She's a survivor, Livy," her mother continued. "And I hope that someday, you can be proud of her for overcoming what she has." Now Anya sighed and pulled Olivia into her arms, hugging her tightly. "I know you're angry for what she did to me and your father," she opened. "I love you so much for your loyalty to me, do you know that?"

"No," the Cryomancer replied grumpily as she rested her chin on her mother's shoulder. The nurse, meanwhile, stroked her daughter's equally long, white tresses, which fell down her back in gentle layers of waves. Her touch, as always, calmed the Elite's restlessness.

"Well, I do," she said. "But I think that this time, it's going to be different."

"She could be lying."

"True," Anya agreed. "But _this_ time, she'll be surrounded by several Hydromancers who can tell just by touching her if she's up to something. And believe me, if any of us feel that way, we're going to tell your father immediately, and he has to listen. That was _my_ caveat to this whole thing."

Olivia pulled away. "I don't like this one bit," she declared.

The nurse smiled and pushed her daughter's hair away from her face. "I know you don't," she said. "But please try. For your father. He's tried so hard to save her and he wants - no, he _needs_ \- you to have his back."

She sighed unhappily. "That is the _sneakiest_ , most _underhanded_ tactic in the book."

"You only say that because it works when you don't want it to," Anya chuckled softly, patting Livy's cheek.

"I have a horrible feeling about all of this," the Cryomancer lamented.

"It'll be okay," her mother reassured her. "It'll all be okay."


	2. Leavetaking

Ft. Albany was a bustling but restricted Army base where only vetted soldiers with high security clearances could work due to its many operations concerning Outworld and the other Realms. The primary building and adjoining barracks were a mass of red brick and white plaster, with white-painted bars across the windows and MPs with attack dogs on patrol everywhere. At the edge of the property, tall, electrified kill fences topped in razor wire glittered dangerously in the sun, daring curious people to try to sneak inside the compound. If the fences didn't stop them, the armed guards watching from the towers around the perimeter would.

But it also was adept at keeping people and things reined in, even Miyuki, who'd long ago learned to love those fences' towering menace. She was one of the few who could easily conquer them and destroy her wardens in the blink of an eye if she so wished. But somewhere along the way she realized that she'd let them imprison her, not to keep her locked away from the world, but rather, to keep the world locked away from her. She felt safer in confinement, sheltered from the dragons at the back door.

But today, they were letting her fly away into a world of imagined freedom, and she was not particularly thrilled with the prospect.

"Something along the way has robbed you of confidence and courage and left you with a fear of change and a dread of everything unknown that may occur," Dr. Johnson had told her the previous day when she'd expressed her concerns about leaving. "But Miyuki, you are strong enough to weather the storm. No matter what life will throw at you, I truly believe you will rise above it."

"It's not _that_ I will survive it," she had argued, thinking of the _majo_ she'd been years ago, "but _how_."

"The how is up to you," he'd countered with a smile as he patted her knee. "If you don't want to become Frost again, then don't."

So now, Miyuki nervously dressed in the clothes Maggie had brought to her: blue jeans, a purple t-shirt made of brushed cotton, and plain black sneakers. Then she began packing her handful of worldly possessions into a single suitcase and her toiletries into a small makeup bag. A sense of sadness masked the apprehension growing inside her, and as she obsessively folded her clothes until they were just right, she imagined the sadness was that fear of returning to the Temple and whether or not she'd be welcomed or rejected by the Lin Kuei. She'd hoped that it was better than her cell, but she wasn't quite sure it would be.

"Babby, are you okay?" Maggie's elderly voice croaked from the corner.

"Yes," Miyuki answered absently as she folded a shirt.

"Are you certain?" she wondered.

Finally, the Cryomancer stopped and looked at her biological mother. The old woman sat straight in her chair, her liver-spotted hands resting atop a cane the hospital gave her after she had her knee replaced a few months prior. She trembled, but that was nothing new. Maggie trembled all the time now, and the tremors were getting worse with each passing day.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"Well, Babby, I could be wrong, but you seem out of sorts," the woman replied. "You've folded and unfolded the same shirt three times now." She pointed with a gnarled finger to the yellow sweatshirt in Miyuki's hands.

The Cryomancer sighed. "I guess I have a lot on my mind," she said.

As if reading her mind, Maggie smiled and said, "If you'd rather come live with me than at your brother's Temple, you can."

"We've been over this," she snapped as she resumed packing. "The doctors think it'll be better for me to go to the Temple so I can gradually start reintegrating into society. They say I'm institutionalized, and that means I'll be more vulnerable to doing stupid things that'll turn me into Frost again."

"True," the old woman agreed. "The Temple won't be as restrictive as this hospital, and it'll allow you far more freedom, but not enough to get you into trouble." She smiled. "And Kuai Liang will take care of you."

"Yes…" she agreed, her voice trailing off thoughtfully as she resumed folding her clothes.

True to his word many years ago, when he first forced her to come here, her older brother had visited her at least once a week without fail. Patiently, with far more dedication and compassion than she'd had any right to expect of him, especially given all that she'd done to him, Kuai Liang attended the family therapy sessions the doctors set up just for them to accommodate their unique circumstances. He'd brought her presents, and snacks, and sweatpants and t-shirts when her old ones wore out. Sometimes, he'd brought his family, and she found that she cherished the times she saw his children the most. In those times, she could daydream that Tommy, Jamie, and Sam were just like what she and her brothers would be like if their father hadn't ripped apart their family all those years ago. The only one of his children that she'd never met was Olivia, and though Kuai Liang tried to shelter Miyuki from the truth about why the girl refused to meet her, deep down, she already knew: Olivia hated her.

Miyuki wasn't quite sure how she felt about her big brother forcing his daughter to come to Ft. Albany today of all days. But, she reasoned, if there was a problem, it was probably best it happened here where there would be trained psychologists around to help Olivia work through her feelings on the matter, and not at the Lin Kuei Temple where the witnesses were all probably on Olivia's side. Still, the girl's hatred bewildered her aunt. Logically, she understood the _why_ of the matter: Frost had been a heinous, homicidal bitch who very nearly succeeded in murdering both of Olivia's parents before she was even conceived. But in her heart, Miyuki inwardly squirmed at the thought of someone who didn't even know her hating her like she did. She was Frost no longer. And she wished Olivia would give her the chance to see that she was sincere in her vow to never do harm again.

A sudden knock on her bedroom door made her jump, and her heart was still pounding when it opened a moment later and revealed her brother's stern visage. He was almost fifty, she knew, but his powerful body and lithe movements convinced her he was far younger. His dark hair was short and neatly combed, and had gone white at his temples in a distinguished sort of way, but it was as thick as it had been when he was a young man. His eyes, the same sapphire blue she possessed, were cold, and he certainly had the ability to freeze someone into a proverbial statue merely by staring at them. But for now, he felt like sunshine, Miyuki thought, like the promise of good weather.

"Hi," she tentatively greeted him, forcing a small smile.

"Hello," he greeted back as he stepped further inside and then allowed her to hug him lightly. He towered over her, his body a fortress against her own, and the strength of it alleviated much of her anxiety in a single instant. "Hello, Mother," he greeted Maggie when he pulled away a moment later.

"Hello, Babby," she beamed as she also hugged him, and pulled his cheek down to kiss it.

Then he met Miyuki's expectant gaze and smiled faintly. "I've brought someone with me," he told her before he stepped out of the way, revealing his oldest daughter. "Miyuki, meet Olivia."

As soon as her eyes focused on her niece, she found herself breathless in shock and wonder. She'd heard stories of the young Cryomancer often, and she'd often pictured a child who'd endured too much, a mirror image of the woman Miyuki had been years and years ago, someone very young. And physically, she _was_. But now, standing before her, she was certain Olivia was older than twenty-one. There was a maturity about her large, blue eyes, a hint of knowing that no one as young as her could've gotten yet. For an instant, she thought those eyes were deep pools about to swallow her up. Olivia held herself with a grace and air of command that made Miyuki feel awkward and unsure. Both women were of the same height, but her presence was such that she was the taller of the two.

Altogether, she was like no one Miyuki had ever seen before. The black hood of her jacket framed her face, and stark white hair, hanging to her waist in soft ringlets, was only slightly longer than her own. She'd never seen another woman with hair like hers - at least, another _young_ woman. Olivia's minidress gleamed faintly in the light, green like a shadow in a forest, the color rippling like water as she breathed. A silver necklace with a sapphire and diamond-encrusted snowflake dangled from her horrifically scarred neck, the wound of which was now shaded blue like her father's scar across his eye. She knew, from Kuai Liang's stories, that a yurei tricked her into doing that to herself, and that the Hydromancers couldn't heal such vile magic, so Olivia was left with a permanent reminder of her time in Outworld.

"Oh, my," Miyuki finally breathed, her hands trembling. "Good morning, Olivia...ah...Livy," she said, awkwardly stumbling over her words as she tried to remember what her family preferred to call her. Her face grew hot at her fumbling. She'd faced down some of Outworld's and Netherrealm's vilest Champions. So why was _this_ such a terrifying moment?

"Morning," the young Cryomancer coldly replied. She crossed her arms and pulled back her hood. She definitely didn't have the confidence issues that currently plagued her aunt. "There, I met her. Can I go now?" she asked her father, now looking at Kuai Liang with an expression of irritation for him.

"Young lady!" Maggie yelped in exasperation.

"What?" she replied.

"Olivia," Kuai Liang began in a low, threatening tone of voice. "I want you to think carefully about all you stand to lose, and I want you to ask yourself if causing trouble today is going to be worth it."

The young Cryomancer unhappily sighed, and she glowered at him before leaning against the nearby wall, never meeting Miyuki's wounded gaze. Miyuki then looked to her brother, waiting for some kind of an explanation. He sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Just let her be," he told her almost inaudibly. "She hasn't had a lot of time to process all of this. She just got home from a hard mission."

She gulped. "Are you sure it's okay for me to come to the Temple again?" she asked, arching her eyebrows at him. "I don't want to cause trouble with your family. That's the last thing I want."

"It'll be fine," he said.

"But-" she started to argue as she looked at Olivia.

"I said, it'll be fine," he repeated, this time more certainly.

Miyuki nodded but sighed. "Okay," she whispered.

"Are you ready to go?" he now asked, gesturing towards her suitcase.

"Not really," she nervously laughed. "But yeah, we can go. The paperwork has all been signed and Dr. Johnson gave me my prescriptions and instructions and stuff."

Her brother smiled reassuringly at her, grabbed her suitcase from her bed, and promptly handed it to Olivia. "Carry this for your aunt," he ordered. The young Cryomancer glared daggers at her father, but he was unmoved, and she scowled as she took it from him.

As they filed from her cell, with Kuai Liang helping Maggie hobble along, Miyuki glanced back at the only place she'd called home for the last twenty years. A choking pain began in her chest and swelled through her throat, and as the memories of this place flooded in, they prompted a few stray tears to well up in her eyes. She could feel the start of her long journey now, the going away from Frost, the person she'd been. And for a fleeting, terrifying second, she didn't want to.

"It's normal to feel scared, Miyuki," her brother's soft voice said behind her.

She swallowed her tears and then slowly faced him. His face was its usual cold mask, his body an expressionless statue towering over her. "What if they're wrong about me?" she whispered so that Maggie and Olivia couldn't hear her from the hallway. "What if I'm not ready to go?"

"They're experts," he countered. "I'm sure they wouldn't let you loose if they thought it was going to end badly."

"I don't deserve freedom," she now argued as some part of her hoped he'd agree and make her stay. "I killed people. Innocent people. You should've thrown me in a hole and thrown away the hole."

He faintly smiled at that. "Perhaps," he nodded. "But freedom is what you've been given."

Miyuki started to argue with him once again, but this time he interrupted her. "I know that this is hard," he said. "I felt scared when I decided to leave the old Lin Kuei years ago. It's so hard to leave - until you actually leave. And then it's the easiest thing in the world to do." He paused, inhaled deeply, and then wistfully smiled at her as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "I have learned that if you must leave a place that you have lived where your past is buried deep, you have to leave it the fastest way you can. Never turn back and never believe that an hour you remember is a better hour because in truth, it's dead. Past years are safe ones, vanquished ones, while the future lives in a formidable cloud where everything is uncertain. And _that's_ the scary part."

"Why are you so good to me?" she asked, nodding as more tears spilled over. "You're the last person who should want them to set me free. I was so terrible to you."

"We've been over this," he gruffly barked. "You're family. And you never abandon your family when they need you, even if what they've done is despicable. I would hope that if the tables were turned, Miyuki, that you'd forgive and help _me_."

"I would do everything in my power to save you," she softly agreed.

"Do you mean that?" he challenged, sternly raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"Of course!" she breathed, mildly offended that he doubted her. "You're my brother."

Now he smiled. "Then the doctors are right about you." He winked and then gestured for her to follow. "Come on. Let's go home."

At last, Miyuki nodded and clutched her makeup bag tightly to her chest before following Kuai Liang from her cell. Like he'd told her, she never dared to look back once, and as she moved, every step became lighter and easier. The medical staff and guards wished her well as her family passed by, and she cordially acknowledged them, but refused to linger and make small-talk even when it seemed like that's what they wanted. Such things would only make this moment harder. But by the time they reached the hangar where the portal to Arctika was located, she was actually smiling.

At least until she saw Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs standing in their path.

They were surrounded by several people Miyuki didn't even know, and an odd array of people at that. There were two young women about Olivia's age dressed in Army fatigues - a blonde woman wearing aviator sunglasses and a black woman with intricately woven cornrows on her head. Next to the blonde stood an equally young Asian man, abnormally tall, dressed in Chinese fighting robes with a bow strapped to his back. On the other side of the black woman, two other Asian men stood, the younger dressed in yellow and black while the older had a red cloth wrapped around his eyes.

As Miyuki's smile dropped in an instant, Kuai Liang stepped forward. "What is this, General?" he demanded to know.

"We're here to make sure this _criminal_ doesn't cause any trouble on her way out," came the curt reply. She glared at Miyuki.

Immediately, the Cryomancer's heart leaped into her throat and she averted her eyes in shame. General Blade had never forgiven her for her crimes, and neither had Jax for that matter. She didn't deserve it. Years ago, under orders from Quan Chi, she'd ruthlessly murdered Sonya's mother and Jax's son. She swallowed hard and shrank behind her brother.

Kuai Liang, however, was _not_ having it. "She's done her time, General," he shot back. "She's square with the house again. So it seems that the only trouble being caused right now is by you and this mob."

"For the record, I am _extremely_ opposed to her release," she spat.

"Be that as it may, the doctors saw fit to release her. And the last time I checked, _you_ are not a doctor. So step aside, General." The chill froze his every word into ice.

"We ain't here to stop you, Ice Man," Jax now spoke up. "But we _are_ here to tell you to keep an eye on your sister." Now it was his turn to glare in Miyuki's direction.

"Two eyes," he replied.

"We're gonna be keeping an eye on her too," he said. "If she so much as steps a toe outta line, we gonna have a problem. You cool?"

"Aren't you retired, Jax?" he shot back.

The man, who Miyuki now noticed was dressed in overalls beneath his old Army jacket, scoffed. "I have a vested interest in Frost, and you damn well know it," he grunted.

Kuai Liang inhaled deeply to still his growing anger. "Is that all?" he snapped.

"No," the General replied. "We just got a message from Outworld that I think you'll be interested in, seeing as it was addressed to you." The Grandmaster looked at her expectantly but said nothing. "It's from Shŭdí Tsai Bing in Mòhé. Your kin. He wants you to come to him. Says it's urgent."

Now Kuai Liang crossed his arms. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Didn't say. Only that it was urgent."

Miyuki looked up at her brother, who was quietly contemplating this news. "Very well," he finally said. "I will return with a team at 1700 hours to go through the portal to Outworld. Now open the door to Arctika."

Sonya looked like she might say something to that, but Jax flashed her a look and she refrained from uttering her comment out loud. Instead, she glanced over to the soldiers manning the portal controls and nodded. Immediately, they went to work and opened a shimmering blue event horizon that looked as if cloudy, black arms were twisting through it like a galaxy. Miyuki hadn't seen it since she lived in the Lin Kuei long ago.

"Come on," Kuai Liang said to her.

"'Sup, Coldilocks?" the young, blonde soldier said to Olivia as the family started walking towards the platform again.

"Don't ask," the Cryomancer grouchily replied. "I'll DM you later," she said.

"You going to take General Blade's offer and join the team?" the yellow and black clad Asian man asked.

"You know, Taquito, I was going to say no," she replied. "But now I'm strongly thinking about saying yes." As she said it, she flashed a hateful look in Miyuki's direction behind the Grandmaster's back.

The blonde one snickered. "Taquito," she chuffed, prompting the young Cryomancer to smile. "Good one."

"Talk to you guys later," Olivia said before she disappeared through the portal. Soon, Kuai Liang, Maggie, and Miyuki followed.

Little had changed on the other side when she emerged. A young wisp of a man she didn't recognize was manning this end of the portal, and he seemed largely bored by the job as well. But his eyes went wide when they found Miyuki, and they seemed fearful. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Her reputation undoubtedly had proceeded her.

Kuai Liang led them into the hallway, which was dim like dusk even though it was lunchtime because of near-perpetual nighttime at this time of year. She'd forgotten about that. Inwardly, she grumbled about it. Constant darkness was difficult to adjust to, and she wasn't looking forward to doing it once again. But such was life in the Arctic Circle.

"Olivia, take your grandmother to see your mother in the infirmary," the Grandmaster ordered his daughter as he took Miyuki's makeup bag and handed it to her.

"Finally!" the young Cryomancer practically exploded in relief.

Kuai Liang sighed and scowled as he now pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed away the growing headache. "And you and I are going to have a discussion later," he told her. Her face fell back into a scowl, and he continued, "But first, you need to get ready for a new mission. You're going with me to Mòhé this evening."

"I am?" she replied, puzzled, as if she couldn't believe her father had asked her to go on this mission with him. But then she clearly remembered Miyuki was watching and said, "Yeah, that's right, I _am_."

Her father wrinkled his nose into a frown. "Just get ready for the trip," he drily remarked. "Gather enough supplies for at least a week."

"Yes, Dad," she said. Now she looked at Maggie. "Come on, Grammy."

"I'll race you," the elderly woman replied with an ornery smile. "And then we'll have a talk of our own, Babby." Olivia groaned at that but said nothing more on the matter. Together, the two of them walked off towards the infirmary.

"You're coming with me, Miyuki," Kuai Liang now said to his sister, leading her in the opposite direction.

She followed him to his office without question, trying to ignore the fearful looks the younger Lin Kuei warriors and the children flashed at her as they walked. They'd undoubtedly heard the stories about the psychotic, terrible Frost, the Cryomancer who'd tortured and tried to murder their Grandmaster and his wife. Olivia had probably told them all about her, and she cringed, thinking that this whole thing was a mistake.

Inside Kuai Liang's office stood Tomas and Bomani, the latter of which was miraculously healed of his automation when Onaga threatened Outworld. These two aging warriors were her brother's chief lieutenants, and they both regarded her like they'd rather jump rope with a cobra than welcome her back to the Lin Kuei.

"Hello, Tomas," she nervously greeted as she extended her hand to him.

The Enenra looked at it as if it was a trick. He looked from it to her to Kuai Liang, and then back to her. "Hello...uh...you," he stammered awkwardly, never taking her hand. His Czech accent was noticeably thicker than she remembered.

Miyuki sighed and then looked to Cyrax. "Hello, Bomani," she greeted him, also extending her hand. "It's good to see you in the flesh."

Unlike Tomas, Bomani took her hand and shook it, though he did so warily. "You saw me briefly without my cybernetic armor when Onaga had imprisoned all of our wills," he replied. His Tswanan accent was also thick. "But it was years ago, and we were not ourselves."

"No, we weren't," she agreed.

"Please, everyone sit," Kuai Liang now instructed, and the three of them obeyed, taking places in the leather armchairs before his desk. "We must establish some ground rules if you are to live here, Miyuki," he said. "It's for your safety as well as ours."

"Okay," she replied, swallowing hard as she nodded.

"You cannot leave the Temple without an escort," he said. "I don't want to give General Blade any excuse, do you understand?"

"Perfectly."

"I also reserve the right to have any one of the Hydromancers touch you to see what you're thinking whenever I deem it necessary," he told her. "But I encourage you to reach out to us if something is troubling you. Don't hold it inside. Dr. Johnson told me that's dangerous and could cause you to relapse into old habits."

"I understand," she agreed. "He told me the same thing. He said I shouldn't isolate myself. But…" she trailed off.

Kuai Liang looked at her expectantly, but when she didn't finish her thought, he sighed. "But what, Miyuki?"

Uneasily, she glanced at Tomas and Bomani before meeting his stern gaze. "But it's going to be hard _not_ to isolate myself," she said. "I can already tell I'm not welcome here. That people are afraid of me. I've earned that, I guess. But-"

"But it's going to take time," he said. "They haven't seen firsthand the progress in you that I've seen. Trust is earned. You're going to have to win their trust. But I know that you will."

She shrugged. "I hope you're right." She sighed. "Kuai Liang, maybe this is a huge mistake. Maybe I should've just gone with Mom. She needs someone to take care of her anyway."

"The doctors think it's better for you to be here," he argued.

"There are a lot more people here to get hurt," Tomas now interjected.

The Grandmaster scowled at him. "You're not helping," he snapped.

The cyber-ninja bristled. "Again, you act like I was supposed to," he shot back. He looked at Miyuki. "I sincerely hope you've healed yourself and gotten yourself together," he told her. "No child should've gone through what you went through. But your victims shouldn't have gone through what you put them through either."

Anger unexpectedly flared up inside of her. "You were right there beside me, if memory serves," she coldly hissed. "I got credit for a lot of _your_ kills. Bi-han's too."

"The circumstances were different, and you damn well know it," he shot back, his eyes narrow and scowling. "I had no free will to stop me. _You_ did."

"Well, how lucky for you that you can sit there and be Lord God King Right," she snapped. "How convenient that your lack of free will automatically absolves you of all guilt in those matters."

"It doesn't absolve me," he replied. "It will never absolve me. But-"

"Enough!" Kuai Liang snapped as he slapped his desk. Immediately, both Tomas and Miyuki stopped arguing and withdrew. He glared from Tomas, to Bomani, to her. "There is plenty of guilt to go around between all of us," he growled. "But I am not interested in the past. Only the future."

"Save it for Pinterest, my _pr̆ítel_ ," he retorted. "This is a foolish decision. You, of all people, should know that."

"I know what she's done better than anyone," he replied. "But everyone deserves a second chance. And this is _not_ up for debate."

"Grandmaster?" Bomani now interjected.

"What?" Kuai Liang barked.

If the Cryomancer's curt tone upset him, he hid it well. "I have set up her sleeping quarters close to ours as you've directed," he said. "Should I show her where they are?"

"Yes," he grumbled, now red in the face. He now looked at her. "But don't settle in just yet, Miyuki. You're going with me to Mòhé as well."

She wrenched up her face in puzzlement. "I am?" she asked, bewildered. "Oh, Kuai Liang, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Neither do I," Tomas added. "And, pray tell, why are _you_ going there?"

"Tsai Bing sent a message to Ft. Albany," Kuai Liang replied. "He said it's urgent that I come."

"And you think it's wise to take _her_ with you?" he said, looking at her in staunch skepticism.

"She deserves to meet the other Cryomancers," he told him. "They're her kin as well as mine."

"Then I'm going with you."

"As am I," Bomani added.

"No, you aren't," he told them both. "I want you both to stay here and hold down the fort. I don't know what Tsai Bing wants. His definition of urgent might be _my_ definition of urgent and-."

"True, it could be _worse_ ," Tomas interrupted. "And you would be stuck there, alone, with just Miyuki to have your back."

"Olivia's going as well," Kuai Liang retorted.

"Oh, well, _that_ makes it better."

"Grandmaster, I have to agree with Smoke on this matter," Bomani said. "You need more protection than that. Otherwise, I must insist that one of us go in your stead to answer Tsai Bing's summons. I will not allow you to potentially endanger yourself-"

"I'm not a danger to him," Miyuki indignantly interrupted.

"Not _you_ as much as the other Cryomancers," the Tswanan told her. "They are aggressive and hostile towards the Grandmaster because of his unfavorable lineage. They would treat you similarly. Additionally, they are intolerant of women warriors. Both you _and_ Olivia would be at risk there. Without added protection, there would be nothing to deter them from harming our diplomatic envoy."

"That's right, the only reason they didn't kill us the last time we were there was because Himavat forced them to play nice," Tomas added. "So I'm going, and I'm bringing a squadron with me to protect you and Olivia. Cyrax can stay here and run things while we're gone. So just accept it, my _pr̆ítel_."

"I'm not going," Miyuki now declared, prompting them all to look at her. "I'm not ready for missions."

"And I'm not ready for you to be alone in the Temple without me," her brother abruptly told her.

She recoiled as if he'd just slapped her. "I thought...you believed in me," she stammered. "I thought-"

"I do," he said. "But quite frankly, you're fragile right now, Miyuki. I don't know what, if anything, could trigger an episode. And the last thing I want or need is for you to lose control and go on a rampage while I'm gone. If you decide to use your powers, you know that nobody is going to be able to stop you and a lot of people could die or get hurt, including Anya and my children. So I'm keeping you close. You're going with me."

"Kuai Liang, if there's a fight, you know I won't be able to help you," she said. "I can't. I can't risk becoming Frost again."

"Then I guess we better not get into a fight."

* * *

 **Reptaliator, Congratulations on being my first review for this story! And LOL I'm kind of proud of my version of Reiko. He's the new Frost ;)**

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, thanks! And I'm curious to see where this goes as well ;)**

 **Sub-Pion, thank you! I'm glad you're so excited :) Yeah, I'm actually going back and revising my stories for Wattpad, and then I'll probably re-upload them here. The point of me telling you that is that I'm going back and toughening up Kuai Liang a little (amongst other things).**

 **Obelisk of Light, it's already strange _writing_ Frost as a relatively sane, mellow character. I'm so used to making her let loose with the crazy. But this time, let the other villain(s) out to play ;) **

**ROCuevas, thank you!**

 **The Titan's Shadow, thank you, I'm glad to be back. I'm feeling much better now after my respite. I hope this story delivers!**

 **Daniel Barga, LOL Happy New Year! Yeah, Frost is one of my faves too. You should read _Frostbitten_ if you want to see how she was then vs. now. She's much more docile now, to be honest. It's all part of my character arc for her, and hopefully a redemption as well. As for Alex, Olivia's going to have a bit of trouble. You'll see ;) **

**Tikcus, well, I use an iPod. Okay, technically it's built into my iPhone, but still. I love it.**


	3. Ghosts of the Past

Olivia was standing in front of the portal in Ft. Albany, keeping a close eye on Specialist Eubanks who was manning the station. At the moment, he was covertly picking his nose, doing so in such a coy way that if anyone noticed, he could just say he was scratching an itch. She watched in disgusted fascination as Kenshi approached her father and Uncle Tomas - who'd brought a squadron of Lin Kuei Elites with him - on the floor just below the platform. Miyuki, Olivia noticed, stood uncomfortably at the back, for all intents and purposes looking like a shy kid walking into class at a new school. Her presence was why the young Cryomancer was currently standing next to Eubanks, who was mining for gold. The Elite wanted as much distance between her and her aunt as possible.

"It's been a while since I've spoken to you, Tomas," Kenshi opened as he joined them below her. "How have you been?"

"I'm fabulous as always, Daredevil," the cyber-ninja replied as he flashed his trademark grin.

The swordsman vaguely smiled at the reference to the blind superhero, and then said, "And your family? I don't see any of them here."

Tomas shrugged. "Given the Cryomancers' prejudices towards Hydromancers, I felt it was best to let them sit this one out. Morgan was extremely put out by my decision."

"She _is_ her mother's daughter," he said fondly.

"Bah," the other said, impatiently waving his hand through the air. "She can go cry to Fujin. I'm right about this, and I don't care if she thinks otherwise."

That elicited a soft chuckle from the blind man. Then, he asked, "And Alexander? How are things working out for him here in the States?"

Now Olivia, who'd only been vaguely listening to their conversation, perked up. Her ex-boyfriend had undertaken a mission roughly a year prior to work with Special Forces in spying on the Black Dragon's activities. He had only returned to the Lin Kuei Temple a handful of times since his activation, and each time he came back, it had been tense and awkward between them. She'd hoped that by now, they could go back to the way it was before they started dating, when they were the closest friends in the world. But he was distant, as if he was keeping her at arm's length because he no longer trusted her. That was the part that hurt, knowing next to nothing about his life these days.

"He's doing well," Tomas answered Kenshi. "He enjoys his assignment much better than standing guard at the Temple."

"Have you heard from him recently?" the Grandmaster now asked. "He was due to check in today."

"I actually heard from him last night," the cyber-ninja told him. "He seems very happy. His partner works for the Outer World Investigating Agency. Her name is Bishop. Jasmine?"

"Oh, yes, I know her," Kenshi replied. "Bishop's a real tech guru. Really smart young woman. A sweet person as well."

"That's what I gathered," Tomas said. "He told me that they've been dating for a while now, and he's over the moon for her."

Olivia immediately couldn't breathe. Perhaps this is what the stories meant when they called somebody heartsick. Her heart and stomach and whole insides suddenly felt empty and hollow and aching.

"Better tell him to be careful or you'll be a grandfather before you know it," Kuai Liang now teased.

"Wait, Alex has a girlfriend?" Olivia finally had the air to speak as she gripped the platform railing and looked over.

Now Tomas whirled around with a look of abject horror plastered upon his face. "Oh, _holčička_ , you weren't meant to hear that."

"And when was I meant to hear that, Uncle?" she hissed. "When he sent out his wedding invitations?"

"Olivia, I'm very sorry-"

"Why?" she bristled, now acutely aware that Miyuki was watching her with concerned interest. She wasn't about to let that bitch see one ounce of weakness, so she stubbornly bit her bottom lip and tilted her chin up haughtily. "I don't care. He can marry her for all I care. I'm fine."

"And yet you seem very upset," her father chimed in, his own face pensive and worried. He frowned and crossed his arms as he looked up at her.

"If I'm upset, it's because we're still standing around in front of the portal, waiting for Raiden to show up to let us cross over to Outworld," she snapped at him. "What's keeping him?"

"A god does not have to answer to the whims of mere mortals," his familiar, booming voice sounded all around the hangar. A moment later, a brilliant blue-white bolt of lightning exploded beside the Grandmaster and deposited the Thunder God next to him. With his eyes still glowing white, he gazed up at Olivia. "Miss Sullivan, I would have you take care to remember that we gods will always come and go as we please."

Olivia rolled her eyes at that, prompting him to say, "I see you have inherited much from your father. A penchant for blasphemy, most notably."

She started to open her mouth to answer him, but her father abruptly stepped in and asked, "Are the Cryomancers expecting us?"

"Of course," Raiden replied. "Their message to you suggests that something is amiss in Mòhé, and if that is the case, they are undoubtedly on edge and anxious to fight. Therefore, it would be prudent not to suddenly appear in their midst and startle them."

"Agreed," he said. He gestured with his arm to his warriors and, on cue, they stood at attention, ready for his next command. "Be ready for a fight as soon as we cross the event horizon," he barked at them as Raiden worked his magic and connected Earthrealm to Outworld.

When a stable portal had been established, the Grandmaster led them up the platform and motioned for Olivia to fall in behind him. She quickly rejoined their ranks and walked beside Tomas through the gelatinous membrane, her thoughts more on his revelation about Alex than the precarious situation she might very well be marching into. She was furious, and she quickly decided that what irritated her the most was the fact that she wasn't feeling humiliated, or annoyed, or even fooled. Betrayal was what she felt, her heart broken not just by a guy she was in love with, but also by, as she once believed, a true friend.

In the dimness they were deposited into, Livy followed her father through a cold, stone hallway that he seemed to know, and an antiquated jail fitted with small cells like dog kennels, towards a throne room where she knew Tsai Bing waited for them. Tomas and the Elites walked anxiously, ready for battle, and Miyuki stayed on the Grandmaster's heels as if she was afraid to be even just a little alone now, even as much as a few feet away. But the young Cryomancer was as calm and cool as her father, in part because her mind was preoccupied with other matters. To Olivia, everyone was only a dark shadow at best.

The throne room loomed up suddenly out of the darkness, spilling a narrow stream of light onto the passage they now walked, and it gradually opened up until at last, the Earthrealmers found themselves completely inside. The Cryomancers were not surprised by their appearance thanks to Raiden's message to them. Olivia recognized Shŭdí Tsai Bing right away. He sat arrogantly at the raised dais at the front of the room, in front of a throne made from iron fractals, ignoring everyone but her father.

On the steps immediately before him stood two young men who seemed around her age, both posed confidently in fine blue tunics embroidered with silver thread and trousers of thick whale leather that tightly conformed to the shape of their well-sculpted bodies. Those clothes - including Tsai Bing's and the other Cryomancers present in this throne room - were scored with all manner of tears and burns, suggesting they'd all gone through a battle recently.

"Hello, Tsai Bing," her father greeted the man in a calm voice. "We received your message and came as soon as we could. What is the urgent matter you wish to speak to us about?"

The elder Cryomancer - who was a dead ringer for Olivia's long-dead grandfather, according to Uncle Tomas - slowly got to his feet with his jaw set into a scowl so deep that he gave the impression he'd chew up and spit out nails without an ounce of effort. " _I_ didn'twish to speak to you about anything," he growled.

The Grandmaster bristled at that. "Then why waste my time by bringing us here?" he growled with equal venom. "Why did you summon us?"

"He didn't," one of the two men now said as he stepped forward. " _I_ did."

The Cryomancer smiled understandingly - gently, even - as he marched towards the Lin Kuei gathered in a block before the throne. His was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that one may come across four or five times in their life. It was the smile of an angel. Olivia found that she trusted him immediately.

Her father, on the other hand, wasn't as easily impressed. "Who are you?" he demanded to know.

"I am Xinyi," he introduced himself politely and with a slight bow. "Grandmaster, I am one of the Princes of Mòhé." He now nodded at the other Cryomancer standing before Tsai Bing, scowling. "That is my brother, Jiayi. He is the Crown Prince."

Olivia studied him with fascination. In stark contrast to Xinyi's messy waves falling to his shoulders, Jiayi's nearly black hair was short, cut into a Caesar style, framing a face women would consider a sensual feast. He practically glowed with irreverence, and there was an unholy gleam in his sapphire blue eyes that shouted how he would laugh in your face while cutting out your heart. He clearly sensed her staring at him because a moment after Xinyi introduced him, his head swiveled like an owl's towards her and she immediately dropped her gaze, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

"I thought Tsai Bing ruled here," her father now coolly remarked. "I wasn't aware that Mòhé was actually a monarchy."

"My apologies, Grandmaster," he said. "My brother and I were in Seido when you last visited our great city. The Lord Shŭdí rules in Jiayi's name until my brother reaches his ten-thousandth birthday. That is a year away by Earthrealm reckoning, if I've done the math correctly. Our father, the king, died in battle centuries ago, when Xing the Deceiver betrayed the Cryomancers to Shao Kahn. Tsai Bing is a great man and a great leader, but he is only keeping the throne warm for Jiayi."

Kuai Liang looked dispassionately from one brother to the other before meeting Xinyi's expectant gaze. "You still haven't answered my question. Why did you summon us?"

Now Jiayi spoke. "Three days ago, our city fell under attack," he said.

"Yes," his younger brother nodded. "It has been eons since anyone has dared to challenge the Cryomancers within our own borders. No one since the days of Shao Kahn has ever been bold enough to try. The Bīnglěng Dì Dìyù, as I know you know, is unforgiving and cruel. It's almost certainly a death sentence."

"I remember," the Grandmaster drily remarked.

"It was a death sentence this time as well," he stated. "It has taken us the better part of three days to defeat them, but the invaders' bodies now stain the snow above with blood."

"Do you know who attacked you?" he asked, now crossing his arms.

"Mostly Tarkatans," he said. "Some Edenians and Zaterrans as well. All of them led by one man - a great general who learned from Shao Kahn himself: Reiko. We took him by surprise and captured him."

At the mention of his name, Olivia's blood quickened, her heart instantly pounding in her chest. She exchanged a glance with her father, who quickly looked back at Xinyi. "Reiko's dead," he snapped. "My daughter, Olivia, killed him in battle." He gestured towards her and she nodded nervously, fighting to keep her face free of any trace of her rising fear. He then looked at Tsai Bing. "Erron Black witnessed Reiko's death and vouched for her to the Emperor."

"Grandmaster," Xinyi began in that soothing tone of his, "we do not find fault or dishonesty in her testimony. General Reiko was a powerful man with powerful friends. It was rumored he was friends with many necromancers - Quan Chi, most notably. It's possible that one of them resurrected him for reasons that are unclear to us at the moment."

"Reiko was _not_ easily defeated," Olivia finally spoke up and stepped forward. She swallowed hard as their eyes all fell to her. "I find it hard to believe he let himself be captured so easily."

"Three days of vicious warfare on the surface is easy to you?" Jiayi now growled, glaring at her.

"Where Reiko is concerned, yes," she replied as memories of her time in the Red Desert flashed to the forefront of her brain. "He was cunning. And his powers made him difficult to kill."

"But _you_ did it," the Crown Prince retorted. "Clearly, that means you are the better warrior. Perhaps we should make _you_ the High General of the Armies of Outworld."

"I got lucky," she replied, now seething at his tone. "My desire to protect my father gave me the strength I needed to beat him. I have no delusions that I was his better, or even his equal."

Jiayi merely harrumphed at that, almost condescendingly. She tersely inhaled through her nose to calm her rising anger, but at that moment, Kuai Liang rested his hand on her shoulder and subtly nodded at her to stand down. Then, when she exhaled her frustration and stepped back to her Uncle Tomas, he looked back to the Cryomancers.

"How do you know this General is actually Reiko?" he now asked. "This person who attacked you could be a shapeshifter such as Shang Tsung."

"We thought of that," Tsai Bing now said. "That is why the young prince sent for you. You were with Reiko in the final moments of his life. You would have knowledge of him that the rest of us wouldn't. We would like you to interrogate him. Test him. Verify his identity."

"I spent all of five minutes with him," the Grandmaster protested. "And all we did was fight. That is common knowledge that anyone could attain. _Olivia_ knows more than I do on this matter." Kuai Liang looked to his daughter, and once again, she suddenly felt the piercing stare of all the men in the room on her.

"In that case, Lady Olivia, would you be willing to come with us to test him?" Xinyi asked, flashing that intense smile yet again, this time directed at her. Her legs instantly turned to jelly.

"Why do you need to prove it's him?" she challenged almost breathlessly. "Just execute him and be done with it."

She would never admit it for a thousand years, but just the mere thought that Reiko was back frightened her more than the thought of death. Her world had changed completely the moment he first stepped foot into her life. Where once she was lighthearted and outgoing, her life then full of friends and adventures outside of Arctika, she now spent most of her days in quiet solitude in the Temple. It had been ages since she'd visited Cassie and Jacqui in New York. They used to ask her to visit them all the time, especially when they came of age and all three could legally go to clubs now. But eventually, after being rejected often, both of her friends just stopped asking.

In addition to her uninspired social life, more often than not, her dreams were stricken by night terrors. Horrible images of blood and carnage splashed across her brain nearly every night. One common image dominated all the others: Reiko stabbing her through the gut with his scythe before stealing her father's soul. Most times, she merely woke from those nightmares in a breathless sweat, her body clammy and cold from fear. But occasionally, just like she'd done often after her initial return from Outworld, she woke from these dreams screaming and scared, never quite knowing where she was. Even her mother, who'd learned much from Himavat about healing such psychic trauma, couldn't quite heal the residual pain and terror from her past experiences. The nightmares became so bad that, even though private quarters were a luxury usually only afforded to the Masters, her father gave her a small, private room so she wouldn't disturb or hurt her dorm-mates in her sleep.

Olivia's entire existence now was pain wrapped up in denial. And she was unwilling to go through yet another metamorphosis on Reiko's account.

Xinyi, as if seeing every ounce of anguish she felt over this matter, nodded sympathetically at her and then flashed that angelic smile once again. "Rest assured, he _will_ be executed for his crimes," he said. "But first, we _must_ know if he is, in fact, Reiko. If he is, we must puzzle out who resurrected him and why. If he is not, we must puzzle out who would want to masquerade as him, and again, why they would want to do so. Only then will we understand why we were targeted for attack."

Olivia looked up to her father who towered over her, silently begging him to save her from this plan. But he sadly returned her gaze, subtly nodding his head to indicate that he agreed with Xinyi. A tight ball formed in her throat at that, forcing tears to her eyes, but she swallowed her pain and nodded back as the prince stepped forward within a breath of her.

"Milady, I can understand your reluctance to visit your tormentor," he began. "I've heard the harrowing tale of your misadventure in the Red Desert. You're wise to fear Reiko. He is a very dangerous man. I think you're terribly courageous to agree to help your people now after all you've suffered."

Olivia looked at him, taking note of his gentle expression. She nodded slightly, breathing steadily to calm her anxious nerves. "Thank you, Your Highness," she quietly answered.

"He is chained quite tightly to the wall in restraints engraved with potent Seidan runes to keep him from escaping," he reassured her. "He will not get free without help. Even still, you will not be left alone with him. My brother and I shall be there, as well as your father, and anyone else you wish to keep you from harm." He patiently smiled as he offered his hand to her to take. "Come, Milady," he said. "Let's get this over with."

With a shaky exhalation, Olivia tucked her hand inside his and made a mental note of its warmth as well as the strength with which he held her. He paid no attention to Kuai Liang or Tomas as they followed with the Elites in a tight formation behind them. Xinyi let his older brother go first, undoubtedly in observance of some royal protocol, who led the rest of them from the throne room. The halls and the rooms through which they now passed displayed shelves and podiums of fascinating Outworld technology and wonders. Weapons, armor, peculiar mechanical devices with functions Livy couldn't even begin to guess at...But all were, in some way or another, crude. Just a little imperfect in shape, or a tad awkward in construction. Earthrealm probably would've perfected these designs by now.

"I see you're fascinated by our inventions," Xinyi said to her as they walked behind Jiayi. "The Seidans would _not_ be impressed. Their technology is the most advanced in all the Realms. Outworld is primitive by comparison."

"I've never been to Seido," she confessed, her mind preoccupied with her mission at hand. Her heart flapped wildly in her chest, and she knew he only brought this up to distract her and put her at ease. It wasn't working.

"It's an impressive Realm," he declared. "Extremely progressive. Jiayi and I hoped to bring many of their philosophies here to Mòhé."

"Such as?"

"The intermixing of various races, for example," he said, "or even this petty feud with the Hydromancers. The Seidans rightly call such hatred and intolerance chaotic, and chaos created by the Old Ones' archaic thinking must be purged from Mòhé for the good of our people. Thankfully, most of the younger Cryomancers such as myself and Jiayi have like-minded opinions on this matter. We _want_ things to change here. Modeling Seido is one way we can do that."

"It sounds like you're a huge fan of their work," Tomas now spoke up from behind them.

Xinyi glanced over his shoulder at the cyber-ninja, nodded, and then looked ahead again. "Seido is extraordinarily peaceful. Outworld can learn much from it."

"Yes, Hotaru seemed like such a peaceful gent," her uncle drily remarked.

That earned a chuckle from the prince. "Hotaru is the Captain of the Guard and the High General of Seido. He does his job very well."

"Oh, we know," he replied. "We've met."

"He trained us both," Jiayi finally said as he turned and scowled at the Earthrealmers. He said nothing else, but the message was received regardless.

They walked in silence for a few minutes after that, drifting past monolithic stalagmites and bulging columns, the only real indication that they were covering any distance at all.

Finally, Jiayi came to a halt before a gaping hollow in the rock in a mixed cloud of ancient dust and roiling mists stained blue with cold. This far from the throne room where Tsai Bing held his court, the reasonably civilized city had taken on a much darker, more hellish aspect. It was a maze of frozen tunnels, icy crevices, and frosted prison cells that made the kennels near the throne room look like a tropical paradise by comparison. Here, portions of the icy stone had been worked by tools. Cryomancers, their specific features long since worn away by the harsh environment, half emerged from the walls and columns supporting the ceiling. They were ancient sentinels, their vigils long ended.

The cave where Jiayi had halted was flanked by two of these vague figures. The floor here was worn smooth by the passage of many feet over the course of several ages. The opening itself gave some sign of having been worked, for it was just a bit too symmetrical, a bit too smooth. The Cryomancer removed a burning torch from its sconce on the wall before he entered the new tunnel with the others in tow.

The corridor took on an even more artificial aspect as the group progressed. The floor grew smoother and the walls grew more symmetrical. When the stone abruptly ended and the steel began, it wasn't jarring to Olivia at all; it just felt like a natural stage of progression. The steady illumination had no clear origin, but it seemed to emanate from points upon that metal as though it were reflecting an otherwise invisible light source.

At random intervals, small sigils had been etched into the otherwise seamless metal. Olivia looked at them in interest, but both of the princes ignored them. She assumed they weren't dialed in to their presence, but were probably meant to prevent someone from _leaving_ rather than entering.

They continued down, now two abreast, bypassing several side corridors until they reached a massive door of black iron glazed over in thick ice. If the corridors had boasted the occasional rune, this door was essentially a mass of runes with iron ridges between them. Even though Olivia boasted no magical powers save for her Cryomancy, she could sense the magic radiating from this door, a physical atmosphere that made her skin tingle in anxiety.

While she and the others looked on, Jiayi ran his hands over the door from one rune to the next, almost as if he was entering a combination in a lock. In a moment, she heard a massive bar slide aside slowly, but a moment later, the door drifted open on massive hinges, still utterly silent.

When it opened wide enough, she saw him there, chained to the wall as Xinyi had said: Reiko.

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, yeah, it's a little bizarre writing her so demure. But it's an interesting new challenge for me, and I definitely have a lot in mind for her as the story progresses :)**

 **The Titan's Shadow, is it wrong that I hope my update didn't ease your insomnia _too_ much? LOL**

 **Obelisk of Light, oh, yes, Frost is much better behaved now than she was back then, but she's still _Frost_ ;) **

**Daniel Barga, thank you! And you feel that way because I'm notorious for things like that. I'm glad you like this version of Frost. She's done a complete 180 in my timeline of things.**

 **jonty2600, well, the focal point is definitely going to be more on Frost and Olivia's dynamic, but I'd actually planned on including her siblings more in this one than I did in _Ascension_. We'll see how it goes. ;) **

**Westcoast Witchdoctor, you're all good, I'm glad you found the notification! XD I'm glad you're loving it (I just sang the McDonald's jingle in my head as I wrote that LOL)**

 **ROCuevas, thank you!**


	4. Reiko Rising

When the gate opened before them to reveal Reiko, Kuai Liang was aware of the two princes sliding into the small room at the edge of his vision, and of Tomas squeezing past, leaving his squadron and Miyuki behind them in the corridor, but all the Grandmaster could really see was Olivia. She stood in the doorway, her face pale and lined with stress. Fear held her, as well as the pain of battles remembered. He should've said no to Tsai Bing, he cursed himself, even though he knew verifying Reiko's identity could mean the difference between life or death for billions of people. He wanted to protect her from everything, not be the architect of her suffering.

Gently, though, he grabbed her arm and let his hand slide down to hers, holding it fast, tugging her slightly along. She looked at him with eyes full of blue fire, and he felt her hand squeeze his tightly before she exhaled a long, shuddering sigh and then release it, confidently marching forward with all the courage her heart could muster. For a moment, he watched his oldest daughter in proud admiration, and then he stepped over the threshold into the cell as well.

Reiko looked precisely the same as Kuai Liang remembered, if not a little worse for the wear after his fight with the Cryomancers. As Xinyi had promised, he was bound to the wall, wrapped tightly in iron chains etched with little sigils. Kuai Liang recognized some of those strange symbols, having seen them before on Hotaru's weapons as well as restraints, though he could only guess at their meaning. His head drooped nearly to his chest, his longish black hair cascading around his face like a dark waterfall. Clumps of mud and soot streaked through it and formed globules at the end.

As Olivia entered the cell, however, he slowly lifted his head and looked at her with a bruised and battered face. When his eyes fell on her, a small, wolfish grin spread across his lips.

"Well, hello, Olivia," he greeted in a dry, scratchy voice like sandpaper. "I wondered if you'd come to see me."

"Wouldn't miss an opportunity to see you in chains," she drily remarked.

"I haven't seen you in a long time. I'd almost forgotten the pleasures of your flesh. _Almost_." Reiko's tongue crossed his chapped lips, sounding like stone on rough leather.

The young Cryomancer's face flushed red in humiliation as a surge of burning anger scorched Kuai Liang's heart. Before he even knew what he'd done, he'd already backhanded the General across the face. A loud crack echoed through the cell as Reiko's head flailed to the side. He started laughing as blood exploded over his bottom lip.

"Oh, Sub-Zero, did I strike a nerve?" he chuckled. "Don't like to think about the night I shared with your dearest daughter? You know, if memory serves, she didn't complain."

The Grandmaster started to take a step forward to deliver another blow, but Xinyi abruptly held up his hand to stop him and then touched a certain rune etched into the wall beside him. Immediately, a convulsion wracked Reiko from head to toe, as if he'd been cracked like a whip. His smile fell from his face as the prince then lifted his chin with his finger to meet his gaze.

"This woman carries within her the noble blood of the ancients," he silkily cooed in Reiko's ear. "You will treat her properly, with all the respect due to a Lady of her position."

That prompted him to chuckle once again. "There was nothing ladylike about what she did that night," he panted around a mouthful of blood.

The wail that left Reiko burned Kuai Liang's ears like despair ripped from his living heart.

"Enough!" Olivia now barked as she scowled at Xinyi. He nodded and released Reiko from the rune's magic.

The General panted and struggled to breathe, and then he gazed at her with a crocodile smile. "Let me guess, Olivia dear," he said. "They dragged you to the darkest depths of Mòhé to test me, to see if I _am_ , in fact, Reiko."

"Pretty much," she agreed, crossing her arms.

He laughed. "Then, what are you waiting for? Test me."

Olivia thought about it for a long moment. "I killed you," she finally said, her tone accusatory.

"And I killed you," he shot back.

His candor startled Olivia. Kuai Liang saw it clearly on her face. But she held her ground and said, "How are you alive?"

"How are _you_ alive?" Now he winked at her, noticing the frown on her face. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Child," he admonished. "Did you honestly think you were the only one who was capable of resurrection?"

"If that's true, then who resurrected you?" she demanded to know.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes," she growled. "I want to know why they'd do such a stupid thing."

He tsked. "Oh, my dear, you disappoint me," he said with that wolfish half-smile of his growing slightly. "In our time together, did you not learn anything from me? Everything is about perception. What _you_ perceive as stupid merely because it is inconvenient for you is what others would perceive as profound wisdom. Every great general knows this, counts on this, and anticipates a course of action based on it. And you are well aware that I am a great General."

"I am well aware that your ego knows no bounds," she hissed.

"It's not egotistical to speak the truth," he countered. "I have proven myself to be a cunning General time and again."

"You're in _chains_ ," she reminded him.

"For now," he winked and smiled dangerously.

Olivia recoiled, and for a moment, her features twisted between astonishment and rage. "If you're so great, Reiko, then why would you even bother to attack Mòhé?" she asked. "The Cryomancers have nothing you could possibly want."

"Don't they?" he said pointedly. Now he swiveled his around and looked at Xinyi. "Or is it possible there's more to Mòhé than meets the eye?"

"And what would that be?" the prince scoffed.

He flashed a subtle glance at Jiayi, one almost imperceptible to everyone in the room except for Kuai Liang. The Grandmaster frowned, scratching his stubbly chin in thoughtful puzzlement. What was that about?

"I am not interested in playing mind games with a war criminal," Jiayi now growled at everyone else. "He's trying to deceive us."

Again, Reiko laughed. "All warfare is based upon deception, young Prince," he scoffed. "When an army can attack, it must appear like it can't; when using its forces, it must appear like it's not; when it's close and ready to attack, it must make the enemy believe it's far away; when it's far away, it must make them believe it's close." He sneered. "Whatever did Hotaru teach you in Seido? Shao Kahn taught me this when I was a mere boy."

Jiayi tensed at the mention of the Emperor. "I would rather have a single lesson from Hotaru than a thousand from Shao Kahn, because at least Hotaru has honor," he shot back. He looked at everyone in the room. "This is pointless. He's only here to play mind games with us, and I am _not_ anxious to indulge him. Let's go."

The men in the room shifted to leave, but Olivia took a step forward and cried, "Wait!" Immediately, everyone else paused and looked at her in surprise. She turned her head and met her father's gaze. "You brought me here to find out if he's Reiko," she whispered to him.

Kuai Liang nodded his approval at her. "Yes, I did," he agreed, his voice soft and barely audible as well. "So find out," he commanded her.

Olivia inhaled deeply and faced the prisoner. "You look like Reiko and sound like Reiko. But what proof do you have that you _are_ Reiko?"

That wolfish grin crept over his expression once more. "Would telling you something only you and Reiko know be acceptable proof?" he asked.

"It depends," she said cautiously, her tone indicating that she didn't like where this line of dialogue was going. "It'd have to be pretty compelling evidence."

"When last I saw you, I know you wondered how you and your father even arrived at that place," he began. "You thought, how is it that the same man who held his infant daughter and kissed her tiny face could one day be so determined to punish her merely for growing into a woman as nature intended? You were certain that, even when you reached out to him in distress - Please, Dad, come get me, come save me - he would abandon you to your fate." He chuffed at his own wit. "I recall telling you then that every child grows up thinking their father is either a hero or villain until they are old enough to realize that he is just a man."

Olivia sucked down a deep swell of air, markedly tensing in a second and Kuai Liang knew Reiko spoke the truth. Their relationship was fractured then, a rift of his own making and one of his greatest regrets. It had very nearly cost him that which was most dear to him. He was lucky that he got her back. He started to speak, but now Xinyi stepped forward.

"We need concrete proof, Reiko," he snapped, "not your usual philosophical ramblings."

The prisoner smirked again at that. "In that case, Young Prince, I seem to recall a birthmark in a very specific spot on Olivia's body," he began. Immediately, she tensed but Reiko continued. "It looks something like a bulbous star, like a splatter of blood in a drop of water. It's small and subtle." He now gazed at the young Cryomancer again, a lion hunting a gazelle. "I've often wondered if you even knew about it, seeing as it's on the underside of your right buttock just above the crease where your leg meets your torso. Impossible for anyone to see unless you're completely naked."

Kuai Liang didn't need to hear more; he knew right away that this person was Reiko. Olivia _had_ been born with the birthmark he'd described, and he'd even seen it himself when she was a baby and he'd changed her diapers. He looked at his daughter then as her face flushed in humiliation yet again, and she stood there in silence as he saw embarrassed tears creep into her eyes. To her credit, she didn't let them fall, even though her father knew all too well that she was deeply ashamed of herself for her dalliance with the General, and he knew what a struggle it was for her to maintain her composure.

But Reiko still saw her distress anyway. "I can see that I've passed your test, Olivia," he said. "Now, tell me...where does that leave us?"

She refused to answer, and the Grandmaster suspected it was because if she spoke, she'd start to cry. Kuai Liang looked behind him to Miyuki and his Elites. "Take Tundra back to the throne room," he commanded them. "Smoke and I will be up shortly."

"But, Grandmaster-" Xinyi started to say.

"You got your answer," he cut him off, scowling at the prince. Then he gripped Olivia's elbow. "Go with them, Tundra."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, Grandmaster."

He saw that she was shaking. His heart lurched in pain for her and he wanted to scoop her up in his arms to make it all better. He would talk to her later, away from all these people and especially Reiko.

When she and they had departed, Kuai Liang crossed his arms, seething with hatred for the General as Tomas and the princes both looked at him to make his move. The cell hummed around him, faintly but consistently, with the crackling of the candle flames. He remained silent, his attention focused on the prisoner chained to the wall in front of him, the only meaningful source of sound in the cell. In the darkest recesses of his heart, the Cryomancer enjoyed seeing Reiko struggle to breathe through the blood dribbling down his throat.

Reiko looked up at him and smirked. "Oh, is Daddy Dearest going to teach me a lesson for embarrassing his little girl?" the General sneered. "You know, Sub-Zero, she's the one who seduced _me_."

Kuai Liang refused to take the bait even though every shred of his brain was screaming at him to beat him with a kori baton. "Why?" When he finally spoke, his voice was laced with ice. Contempt, given speech. "Why are you here, Reiko? What do you have to gain?"

"I thought I'd made that clear." His words, in contrast, were thick, sultry, somehow enticing and repulsive at once.

"Clear as mud," Tomas now said.

He shrugged, causing the chains to jingle lightly as they shifted. "Well, Sub-Zero, the truth is that I have unfinished business to attend to, namely with poor, distraught Olivia."

Now it was Kuai Liang's turn to sneer. "I never took you for a fool, Reiko," he started, "so you'll forgive me for thinking you a liar."

"It's foolish to seek retribution and justice against the one who killed me?" he challenged, raising his swollen eyebrow. "Revenge is the greatest motivator in all the Realms."

"It's foolish to attack the Cryomancers _in_ Mòhé with a miserably small army just on the off-hand chance she'd be here," he replied. "You're not that careless. You're after something else. I want to know what."

"I told you, Sub-Zero," he shrugged again. "Revenge is a perfectly acceptable reason to attack Mòhé. These Cryomancers _are_ your kin, and I had a strong suspicion they'd contact you for help. Truthfully, it was a gamble on my part, especially whether or not you'd bring Olivia. But then again, I owe _you_ a debt as well."

"I'm not playing games with you," he snarled. "I-"

"Grandmaster, allow me to motivate him," Xinyi offered. Without waiting for Kuai Liang's response, he closed his eyes, his lips moving in an inaudible mumble as he ran his hand over a different section of the sigils. Reiko began to groan as if a great set of hands had clamped around his body, prompting his own eyelids to close so tightly it seemed as if they must fuse together. As the prince worked his spell, he shuddered and tensed as if he was gripped in the throes of a seizure.

"Quickly now, Grandmaster," Xinyi said, his own eyes still closed in concentration as a pathetic squeal escaped Reiko's lips. "I can only do this for a few moments before it kills him completely, and for now we still need him alive."

" _What_ is your purpose here?" he demanded to know. "What do you want from the Cryomancers?"

"I was sent here," he gasped.

"Sent here by whom?"

"Havik…I was sent by Havik."

"I'm not familiar with that name," Kuai Liang told the others, frowning.

"He's a cleric and a potent necromancer," Xinyi answered. "From Chaosrealm." The scorn through which his words struggled and swam left little doubt how he felt about anyone from Chaosrealm.

"I've heard of him," Jiayi now said, "but I've never felt any pressing need to study him."

"At least we have a name," Tomas replied. "It's a good place to start."

Suddenly, both Xinyi and Reiko shuddered as one at what Kuai Liang could only surmise was an unexpected tug on their souls. "Time is running out," the prince announced with a labored pant. He looked into the Grandmaster's eyes. "Hurry, while there's still time!"

He nodded at Xinyi and then looked at Reiko once again. "What was your purpose here? What did you hope to gain from the Cryomancers?"

It took so long for the General to answer that Kuai Liang was certain the prince would have to release him from his magical grip before he could answer. Eventually, however, Reiko spoke again. "The means to claim Shinnok's mantel and become a blood god."

Even had Xinyi not stopped his magical compulsion already, Kuai Liang's line of questioning would have ended at that exact moment, for the Grandmaster's heart shattered like glass on a tile at the revelation. It wasn't a scheme he'd ever heard from any of the Outworld villains before - not even Onaga - and that's the part that scared him. He knew that 'Shinnok's mantel' could only mean one thing.

Kuai Liang spun with an abrupt cry, drilling his clenched fist across Reiko's jaw. It landed so hard that the General's body, even though it was chained tightly to the wall, lurched violently to the side as a tooth and a spray of blood exploded from his mouth. He immediately struck him again, this time in the opposite direction, and gore now spattered both of the princes. He probably would've punched Reiko repeatedly had Tomas not intervened then and caught one of his wrists to pull him back.

They carried on a silent conversation with their eyes in the span of a second, his lieutenant ordering him to calm down. So the Grandmaster stood, shoulders heaving. The need to lash out and punish Reiko for even _thinking_ of such a thing burned at his soul; a kori sword was in his hand now, and he couldn't even recall forming the weapon with his powers. Slowly, deliberately, he forced himself to calm.

"What is it?" Jiayi asked once Kuai Liang had visibly composed himself.

"The amulet." His voice was barely a whisper. "They're after Shinnok's amulet."

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, well, the Cryomancer monarchy is just something that came to me one night LOL**

 **Obelisk of Light, how does a Cryomancer monarchy explain his characterization in CotDM? Anyway, maybe Livy's not ready for a romance, maybe she is, but either way, you're right about Subby's upcoming dilemma putting a damper on any feelings she may or may not develop. As for your question about Raiden, like I told you in a message, it's my head canon that the Earthrealmers' portal technology is limited to Earthrealm. So they still need Raiden or another god to open up portals for them to other Realms.**

 **Daniel Barga, well, it's not so much that Livy's angry that Alex has a new girlfriend, it was that it was hard for her to think that her first love had moved on, even though it had been a few years and even though she's the one who ended it. It kind of hurts when someone you cared about so deeply has moved on, and I just wanted to depict that to make her more relatable as a human being.**

 **The Titan's Shadow, I'm glad it helped make your day good. :) To answer your question, it looks pretty cool so far and I'm intrigued by this new character, Kronika. If she can go back and erase the debacle that was Cyber Sub-Zero, I am _here_ for it. But Sub-Zero himself? I'm on the fence. His fatalities look a little blah in comparison to some of the others'. Also, I'm glad to see that NRS finally synced up his name to his Chinese heritage. But on the same token, because he'd nearly always been previously shown as white, and that's the depiction I've always run with in my stories for the last eight years, it got me accused of racism this week and I very nearly deleted all my stories. So, now I'm kind of salty about talking and/or thinking about the new game. :( **

**ROCuevas, I'm glad to hear it!**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, oh, you know Tsai Bing is _such_ a hoot, especially towards women. So we'll see how that goes. As for Reiko, he can't die because I'm not done telling his story yet LOL **

**en-lumine, that is so sweet and you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that. It is just really kind and it is _that_ kind of love for my work that made me want to write again. And you talking me off the ledge this week is another reason as well. It inspires _me_ to be the best kind of writer for you and others. That's the part that makes this whole thing worth it. I'm glad you're enjoying what I've done so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it through to the end. I have a lot of exciting things planned that I can't wait to sit down and write. :D**


	5. One Night in Mòhé

Olivia stood nervously at the head of the formation of Elites who currently guarded the quarters the Cryomancers had given to the Grandmaster for the night. Thoughts of her brief encounter with Reiko swirled through her mind, as did memories of their tryst three years prior during her misadventure in the Red Desert. Even though it humiliated her to admit it, he hadn't been wrong about her; he had brought her to physical ecstasy several times that night, even though her only goal had to been for her and Takeda to escape. But afterwards, she'd felt slimy, like a wad of rotten pond algae yanked up from the depths of a primordial lake, and no amount of washing would ever make her clean again. She'd felt like that often since then, during those times when she allowed herself to remember and think about the past. And she felt like that now that he was back.

Voices carried up the torch lit stone corridor, and within a minute, Olivia saw her father and uncle appear and approach, speaking in hushed tones. But as they drew closer, the Grandmaster raised his head and met his daughter's gaze. No words passed between them - only the gentle warmth in his blue eyes that profusely apologized to her for making her confront Reiko. Her heart swelled inside her chest, aching with need, longing to run into his strong arms and shelter herself from the world. But here in Mòhé, she couldn't afford to look weak. More importantly, she couldn't make _him_ look weak. So she held her ground at the forefront of his loyal guards, standing like a statue, refusing to allow a single twitch of her muscles to betray her.

Her father sighed and then slightly nodded his head down. "Come inside, Tundra," he said, his voice soft but stern.

"I'm going to stand guard with the others tonight," she replied, her face a stoic, expressionless mask. She was suddenly very aware of Miyuki's presence; her aunt was watching in silent, rapt interest to the side of the Elites.

"Not tonight, you aren't," he replied. "Come inside."

Olivia swallowed hard and then thoughtfully bit her lip. She couldn't risk making him look weak in this lion's den by abandoning her post to go cry to her daddy. But if she argued with him in front of everyone, she'd do exactly that. His guards might forgive such an indiscretion - certainly, they were used to her acting like a stubborn git back home in the Temple - but there was no guarantee the other Cryomancers would. They already thought less of him for merely _fathering_ her, the half-Hydromancer abomination that should never have been conceived in the first place.

"Yes, Grandmaster," she finally agreed as the Elites parted and formed a path to the door.

While Miyuki opted to hang around outside for the time being, Olivia and Tomas followed him inside to a square chamber easily twice the size of her parents' quarters back home at the Temple, its walls presenting hunting scenes carved in relief in stone of the purest white. The tapestries between the carvings depicted gentle images of strange flowers and brilliantly colored animals Olivia couldn't begin to recognize if her life depended on it, except for the largest one at the edge of the room where a blue dragon stood taller than a man on a snowy white plain full of gnarled, dead trees. On the opposite end of the chamber was a carved and gilded canopy bed with black curtains like gossamer.

Olivia took a moment to absorb the sheer luxury of everything in this room, then sighed and looked at her father. "Grandmaster," she began. "I'm sorry I-"

"Stop," Kuai Liang interrupted her as he yanked her to him and held her close. "Livy, just stop," he ordered. "There's nothing to apologize for."

Perhaps it was the words he spoke, or maybe just the way he spoke those words, but whatever the case was, they instantly chipped through her facade and pulled out the tears. Immediately, Olivia wrapped her arms around him even more tightly and buried her damp face against his chest, allowing herself a moment to cry in peace as he stroked her head.

"Why is he back?" she moaned, her voice muffled against his own blue tunic. "Why couldn't he just stay dead?"

"I don't know," her father replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. "But his resurrection is going to be pretty short-lived. Now that we know what he's after, Tsai Bing assured me that he's going to be executed at dawn."

"He's after _me_ ," she muttered as he led her to the edge of his bed and they both sat down. "He wants to get even with me for killing him."

"No, Livy, he just told you that to mess with your head," he argued, patting her back to reassure her. "He's still after Shinnok's amulet."

The young Cryomancer scoffed. "Of course he is," she said, and then a thought occurred to her. "Is Takeda in danger? We should warn him."

Kuai Liang shook his head. "I don't think Reiko's going to employ that strategy again," he told her. "It didn't work out for him last time, and he's not stupid. He won't repeat his failures."

"Yes, and that brings me to _my_ point," Tomas now said. "This whole thing feels off to me. How is it that the greatest Outworld General loses a boxing match to the Cryomancers who didn't even know he was coming? And then give up his plans to us with very little resistance? I think Olivia was right. This was too easy."

"Perhaps this whole thing was a diversion," the young Cryomancer deduced. "To distract us from his real target." She sighed. "But that _does_ beg the question, what can he possibly hope to find here? It's certainly not going to be the amulet. Raiden's not just going to leave that thing laying around."

"True," Tomas now agreed with her, "but who's to say he wouldn't leave it here?"

"Why on Earth would he do that?" she wondered.

He shrugged. "Think about it. If you were going to hide an important treasure, Mòhé is a good place. The cold and the snow make it nearly impassable, and-"

"He didn't leave it here, Tomas," Kuai Liang interrupted. "It's probably still in his Sky Temple." He inhaled deeply as he continued patting Olivia's back. "But I _do_ think there's something here that Reiko needs in order to _get_ Shinnok's amulet. He didn't just attack Mòhé arbitrarily. Everyone that's ever tried to attack this place has been at a serious strategic disadvantage and has always paid in spades for their trouble. He knows that as much as the next man. So whatever's here, it's important to him and he's desperate."

"I bet Tsai Bing knows and is keeping that part a secret," Livy now remarked, leaning into her dad's shoulder. "Maybe you should grill him, Dad. Make him talk."

The Grandmaster chuckled at that. "I already beat the hell out of Reiko tonight, Livy, what more do you want from me?"

He flexed his fist in front of her face, revealing his bruised and split knuckles. It prompted her to look up at his face in surprise, and he met her stare with a faint, but knowing, grin. For the first time since they'd left the Temple, Olivia smiled back and then returned her attention to her father's wounded hand. She tenderly clasped it in her own hands, loving everything those wounds meant.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the chamber door and a moment later, Sherman slid through it and pressed his fist to his chest to salute her father. "I apologize for the intrusion, Grandmaster, but Prince Xinyi is here and would like to speak with you."

Immediately, Kuai Liang rose to his feet and pulled Livy with him before he nodded at Nightwolf's orphaned son and nodded. "Let him in," he commanded.

Sherman nodded back and then disappeared behind the door. A moment later, Xinyi appeared, and Olivia saw that he'd changed his clothes from the battle-burned ones he wore earlier. His breeches and boots were still sewn from that black whale leather the Cryomancers all wore, but his brocaded shirt and his coat were now snowy white, the hood of his coat trimmed in white fur. A mass of his dark curls brushed lightly against his collar in stark contrast.

When Xinyi entered, he smiled at everyone and bowed slightly before he faced Kuai Liang. "Grandmaster, I apologize for the intrusion this evening, and especially under the circumstances."

"It's no intrusion," he diplomatically replied. "How can I help you, Your Highness?"

"To be blunt, Grandmaster, I'm not very adept with knowing, let alone following, diplomatic protocol, particularly with regards to Earthrealmers," he began. "So if my request seems wildly inappropriate, please forgive my ignorance. I'm actually here to ask you for the honor of permitting me to escort Lady Olivia on a tour of Mòhé this evening."

Olivia's eyes exploded from her head in shock at his request, and she couldn't help but notice in her peripheral vision how her Uncle Tomas took a quick, uneasy step away from her father. She couldn't blame him. Kuai Liang had been better about being less protective of her, but he still enjoyed scaring her potential suitors for sport. But to the Grandmaster's credit, he merely raised an eyebrow and gazed sternly at Xinyi.

"It is not in my power to grant you permission, Your Highness," he replied as he crossed his arms. He now looked at Olivia and met her puzzled gaze with a faint smirk. "If you want to take _Lady_ Olivia on a tour of Mòhé, you need to ask for _her_ permission."

Olivia heard the amusement in her father's voice, particularly in the emphasis with which he said 'Lady,' and she started to protest, but Xinyi spoke first.

"Of course," he said as he faced her. "Lady Olivia, would you grant me the honor of accompanying me this evening?" He slightly bowed once again.

Immediately, her face flushed red, her cheeks burning hot to her ears. She was acutely aware of her family's eyes on her, waiting for her decision. Xinyi stared at her as well, waiting for her answer, and she found herself more than a little irritated by his request. To say this was wildly inappropriate was the understatement of the year. Reiko was chained up in his basement, waiting to be executed for attacking Mòhé and trying to claim Shinnok's amulet yet again, but Xinyi thought that _now_ was the time to ask her on a date?

Olivia cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," she delicately began. "I'm flattered by your request, but I can't go with you tonight."

Xinyi's smile fell into a disappointed frown. "I see," he said. "Then I'm sorry to have troubled you."

He started to leave but now Tomas spoke. "Your Highness, can you wait outside?" he asked as he gripped Olivia by the elbow and smiled cordially at him. "She'll be with you momentarily."

The prince looked at him in puzzlement, but said nothing as he slid outside their quarters once again. And now Olivia whirled around to face her uncle in fury.

"You heard my dad," she snapped at him as she marched up to his face. "It's _my_ choice. And I don't want to go."

"I heard him," the cyber-ninja told her with equal fire. "But every now and then, it's a parent's job to kick the baby bird out of the nest, and your father is terrible at that. So _holčička_ , _I'm_ kicking you out for the night. It'll be good for you. And he's a prince, so you're welcome."

"Tomas," the Grandmaster started, but Olivia was already interrupting him.

"You just feel guilty about what you said about Alex so you want me to go on a date so you don't have to feel that way!" she yelled.

"That is _not_ true, _neteř_ ," he argued and then thought about it. "Okay, that is _mostly_ not true."

"You are _unbelievable_ ," she growled. "I never thought you'd stoop so low that you'd pawn me off on some stranger just so that you don't have to feel bad about yourself." She furiously shook her head. "And in case you didn't notice, this is _not_ a good time for me to go on a date."

"And when will it be?" he challenged, but his tone had softened. He sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. "Olivia, I know that this entire thing has been hard on you. Being back. Being normal. You feel guilty because there's a part of you that thinks you don't deserve to enjoy life anymore after the things you've done. But it's been three years, _holčička_. It's time to stop beating yourself up and letting Reiko control your life." He squeezed her shoulders and pressed his forehead to hers. "You may hate me for this now, but you'll thank me for it later. Go. Forget about the serious stuff for a while. Because you know what?"

She recoiled suspiciously. "What?"

He curled a cybernetic finger underneath her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. "If you go out there and pretend to have fun for once, an interesting thing might happen." Now he smiled. "You might _actually_ have some."

His grin was contagious and in spite of herself, Olivia found herself smiling as well. "For the record, I think this is a bad idea, Uncle," she said, already knowing she'd be going on this date like he'd insisted. "And it's horribly timed."

"Of course it is," he agreed. "That's exactly why you should do it."

"You're hopeless," Kuai Liang said to him before he sighed, shook his head, and sank to his bed to take off his tabi boots. "You're a terrible influence on my children."

"That's an uncle's job," he indignantly replied. "I feel cheated that you haven't been a terrible influence on _mine_."

As her father and her uncle now debated Tomas' so-called "uncle's privilege," Olivia nervously shed her Lin Kuei tunic to the black robes underneath and then freed her hair from the tight bun she always kept it in when she wore her uniform. White waves fell to her waist and she quickly fluffed up her tresses. Not exactly great date hair, but it was the best she could do on short notice. Her family was still debating when she slid outside and found Xinyi waiting for her there.

"Sorry about that," she muttered as she went to him. Her heart flapped wildly in her chest. It had been a while since she'd risked a date with anyone, and she felt painfully awkward now. His ridiculous good looks and the fact that he was a prince did nothing to ease her anxiety either.

But if he noticed her nerves, he said nothing. "I'm glad to see you changed your mind," he told her, now smiling. "I hope you don't feel like you _must_ come with me on account of my station. I would've been disappointed if you'd said no, but not offended."

"My uncle made a good case for you," she replied.

"Then I am indebted to your uncle," he said with a smile as he motioned for her to follow him down the corridor.

When she'd joined his side, he offered his arm for her to take. She looked at his elbow for a moment like a snake that was about to bite her, but then quickly took it and pulled herself close to him. The butterflies in her stomach began swooping and diving, doing impossible aerial stunts inside her to the point of pain, and she began to think that it was a crappy metaphor. Butterflies were light and airy. This felt more like a swarm of killer bees.

"Are you nervous?" he asked her after they walked a moment in silence.

Olivia started to open her mouth to deny it, but then she bit her lip and nodded yes. "Yeah," she confessed.

"I could tell," he said. "You look like you're marching to your own execution."

She blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I haven't been asked out very often. I'm not very good at this."

He chuffed reassuringly. "I'm not either," he said.

She looked at him in surprise. "You're not?" she asked in disbelief. "I'm not sure I believe you. You certainly won my father over with the way you asked me to come with you."

Xinyi laughed at that. "Truthfully, Lady Olivia, it took me all afternoon, from the moment you first appeared in my throne room, to figure out that much." He looked at her with sapphire eyes darker than her own. "But I had no idea what I was going to do if you actually said yes." He leaned in closely. "You see, I'm very nervous as well. I'm good at many things, but I'm terrible at courting beautiful women."

His words finally coaxed out a warm smile that split her face in two. Her heart flapped wildly in excitement at his compliment, but in spite of it, she began to relax. It was somewhat endearing to think he was just as nervous about going out with her as she was about going out with him. Without realizing she did it, she pulled him even closer to her.

"Why do you call me a Lady?" she now asked.

"Because you are," he said.

"I'm the Grandmaster's daughter," she replied. "That hardly qualifies as nobility."

That earned another soft chuckle. "You're from Earthrealm, so you do not understand," he smiled. "Are you aware that you are distantly related to Tsai Bing?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes," she said. "My ancestor was Xing, his younger brother."

"Yes," he agreed. "But did you know that Tsai Bing and Xing are both of the House Xianzong, one of the most powerful Cryomancer Houses in Mòhé?"

"You mean the Lords of Mòhé?" she asked.

Xinyi nodded. "Well, the Lords of Mòhé are not _only_ from House Xianzong, but many of them are." He looked at her. "Your family _does_ descend from nobility. And not just any nobility. Your family has, and always will be, stewards to _my_ family's throne. So, merely by virtue of your birth, you very much _are_ a Lady." Now he smiled. "Also, by virtue of your kindness and genuinity, you are a Lady."

Olivia blushed again, but this time the searing heat in her face felt good. "Thank you," she said, now threading her fingers between his. "Are you sure you're not good at this courting thing?" she now asked. "Because I think you're pretty smooth."

He chuckled. "It's not my greatest strength," he told her. "My brother has tried to teach me because it _is_ one of his many strengths. But I'm afraid the lessons don't stick as well as they should."

"Your _brother_ is the player between you two?" she asked in disbelief as their path now led them down a staircase. Mòhé was built like an inverted step pyramid with each level growing smaller the further one ventured down until at the very bottom, the city converged into a sprawling marketplace. Presumably, that was where Xinyi was leading her to.

He glanced at her in bewilderment. "I don't understand what you mean by that," he said.

Now it was her turn to laugh. "It just means he has a long line of girlfriends."

Xinyi shrugged. "I wouldn't go _that_ far," he said with a smile. "But it _does_ come easily for him."

"And I suppose that him being the next in line to the throne makes no nevermind to those women," she replied. He looked at her with an expression of astonishment that she'd just said that, so she shrugged. "I'm sorry, but your brother is not nearly as charming as you are."

"The burden of being the eldest son, I'm afraid," he agreed. Then he inhaled and sighed. "Jiayi carries much worry in his soul. Our mother died giving birth to me and our father, as you know, was brutally killed by Shao Kahn's army when we were both just boys." Xinyi looked over the city, then, his eyes dreamy and drifting in memories of the past.

"I'm so sorry," Olivia apologized, her heart lurching in pain for them both. She couldn't imagine living her life without either of her parents there to guide her. "I had no idea."

"Jiayi is devoted to protecting not just me, but our people as well, in order to honor our parents' memory," he continued. "He will do anything it takes to keep the Cryomancers safe. He takes his job very seriously, and when anything threatens that, he becomes quite brash and cantankerous, to say nothing of prone to extremes." He now smiled again. "I _would_ say that I'm sorry you haven't gotten to see the better side of him, but truthfully, his sullenness works out in my favor because I don't want him to steal your attention from me."

"I sincerely doubt he could say anything compelling enough," she grinned at him in reassurance.

* * *

Minutes lazily and comfortably drifted into hours as Olivia walked around the city with Xinyi, which was quieting as the night set in, talking about anything and everything, from life in Outworld versus Earthrealm, to family and friends, his time in Seido, and even an in-depth explanation of the game of baseball. At one point, in a very gentlemanly fashion, he'd even draped his coat around her shoulders in the marketplace when she'd remarked that she was a little cold. And even though everything else in the world seemed sleepy right now, she was as wide awake as she'd been in ages. She wasn't quite sure when it happened, or even when it started. All she knew for sure was that right here and now, she was falling hard for the younger Cryomancer prince.

She wasn't even certain what time it was when Xinyi led her back to her father's quarters, to a spot by the balcony just out of earshot of her fellow Elites who'd undoubtedly watch them with nosy interest. If she did anything unbecoming or if the prince decided to get fresh, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her father would hear about it. At the moment, though, Olivia didn't care. The only thing in the world right now was Xinyi and her.

"Thank you for your company this evening, Lady Olivia," he told her as he drew her close, now pulling his coat around her more tightly.

"I think I should be thanking _you_ ," she replied, unable to contain the smile. "I had a lot of fun with you. It's been a long time since I could say that with a straight face."

He nodded. "Perhaps after Reiko is executed, you can stay here in Mòhé for a while longer, and we can continue this discussion where we left off. I'm curious to hear more about your noble Yankees and this man, Babe Ruth."

She flashed an ornery smirk at him. "Maybe I can talk to my dad about letting me stay," she agreed. "Call it an interdimensional cultural exchange with our people."

"I will pray to the Elder Gods that he wills it so," he replied as he now took Olivia's hand in his own and lifted it to his mouth. "Until then, Lady Olivia, rest well." And then he kissed it, sending shivers up her spine, before quietly gliding away into the darkness of the corridor beyond.

She watched Xinyi disappear before she approached the Elites stationed in front of the Grandmaster's door, and was promptly met by Sherman, who was smirking at her. "How much are you going to pay us not to tell Alex about that?" he teased her.

"Well, I don't know," she answered, now scowling, irritated by the mention of her ex-boyfriend. "How much are you going to pay _me_ not to kick your ass?" She shook her head. "Besides which, he's moved on. I doubt he'll care very much."

And without another word, she squeezed through her comrades and slipped quietly through the door to her father's quarters. At this time of night, she expected her family to be sleeping now, but to her surprise, all of them were still awake. Miyuki and Tomas were seated by the fireplace, evidently having been locked in a conversation that they'd abruptly ended the moment Olivia walked in, but her father was in his bed, surrounded on all sides by papers, wearing a pair of reading glasses as he studied one of those papers closely. When she entered, he removed them and looked at her expectantly.

"You waited up for me?" she asked incredulously, earning a raised eyebrow from him.

"Of course I did," he scoffed.

"Well, you didn't have to," she told him.

"Don't be silly," he replied. "Of course I did." She couldn't help but laugh at that and then blushed under his expectant gaze. "How did it go?" he now asked.

But now Tomas was on his feet and pacing in front of her, studying every inch of his niece as she stood with her back to the door, still breathless from the evening. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm," he said. "My scanners tell me that her heart is racing and her respirations have accelerated. Also, her pupils are dilated and her hormone levels are off the charts." He looked over his shoulder at Kuai Liang. "I think I was right: she had fun this evening."

The Grandmaster narrowed his eyes. "Hopefully, not _too_ much fun."

"No, not _that_ much fun," she quickly said as she shot Tomas a dirty look. Then she shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as she cleared her throat. "But I... _will_...grudgingly admit...that Uncle Tomas was right," she confessed. "It was nice to take my mind off things. _Xinyi_ was nice."

"Well, he obviously took your mind off things so much that you forgot to give him his coat back," her father observed in mild amusement.

"What?" she asked, now puzzled by his remark.

"You're wearing his coat, Livy," he replied, now pointing to it. "He might want it back, you know."

She gasped. "Oh, shoot!" she yelped. She'd completely forgotten about it. "I can still catch him!"

She bolted from the room as she heard her father yell at her that she could give it back later, and ran down the hallway in the direction Xinyi had gone. Truthfully, her dad was right and she _could_ just return it tomorrow morning. But she was looking for an excuse to keep the high from the evening going, and maybe even steal an actual kiss from him for her trouble.

Olivia tracked him to a corridor in the uppermost tier, presumably where the nobles and the royals lived, and finally saw him walking away from her down a hall decorated as richly as her father's quarters. At this time of night, it was still, and he was the only person traveling through it. She smiled a wicked smile, imagining briefly that here there would be no witnesses to report her movements to her father, and she started to call to him as she lightly trotted after him to catch up. But just as she opened her mouth, a new figure emerged from an adjoining hallway and violently shoved him into the wall.

Stunned, Olivia slipped behind a statue to hide as she studied the Cryomancer who'd attacked Xinyi. Tall, with a slender, muscular body, his movements spoke of whipcord strength and unfailing confidence. He wore his clothes, which were only slightly less elaborate than the prince's, as if they were of no importance. It was Jiayi.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snarled at his younger brother, shoving him into the wall once again for good measure. Both of his ice-charged fists curled around Xinyi's shirt, holding him fast, his dark eyes fixed steadily on his prey.

"I _was_ walking to my quarters, Brother," he groaned as he writhed in the elder's iron grip.

"Do _not_ play coy with me," he replied. "You know perfectly well what I mean. How dare you consort with our enemies? How dare you betray me?"

"I think you may be overreacting, Jiayi," he calmly said. "I merely escorted Lady Olivia around the city this evening. I certainly wouldn't call that betraying you."

"I know what you want with her," he growled. "And as the Elder Gods are my witness, I _won't_ let it happen."

Olivia bristled at hearing the venom with which Jiayi spoke his words, a voice oozing with contempt, undoubtedly because he found the idea of his younger brother mingling with a half-blooded Cryomancer repulsive. She wrenched her eyes shut, glad for the statue to conceal her in all her inglorious impurity, embarrassed that for one precious moment with Xinyi, she'd forgotten who she was in Mòhé: a mongrel hybrid abomination.

"Is that a fact?" the younger prince challenged the older. "You'll drag me before Tsai Bing and tell on me? Tell me, Brother, have you noticed who your _real_ enemy in this city is? It is not me and it is not the Earthrealmers who came to help us. It's _him_. You're an intelligent man, Jiayi. Why, Gods, _why_ can't you see what he's doing to us? He's driving a wedge between us, perverting your perceptions so that you see enemies everywhere there are none."

"Tsai Bing is wise and sees much," he hissed. "And he is right to say that your loyalty should be to me and to me alone."

Xinyi shook his head in bitter disappointment. "You're faithless, Jiayi," he sadly remarked. "For once, I wish that wasn't true. I _wish_ you could believe in me and stand proudly by my side like a brother _should_ do. If we are to survive the coming days, we _must_ be willing to change."

"This is Mòhé! And I will be damned before I let you abandon the old ways."

"What about what we learned in Seido about peace and order-"

"For the _last_ time, this is _not_ Seido," the elder brother growled as he shoved Xinyi into the wall again. "Devotion to order works well for them, but that is _not_ our way. It can never be our way."

Xinyi scowled in disgust. "Our father would be ashamed to know that the breadth of your vision is painfully narrow and spineless. I'm glad he's dead so that he can't see your cowardice, that you're afraid to protect the Cryomancers better than he ever could."

"How _dare_ you speak to me of cowardice?" he snapped, raising his fist to punch his brother, when Olivia finally worked up the courage to step from her hiding spot and clear her throat. Immediately, Jiayi released Xinyi and stepped back, his scowl deeply furrowed into his face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she quietly said. "I was just returning Xinyi's coat." Frowning, she shrugged it off and held it out to him to retrieve.

"Thank you, Lady Olivia," he warmly replied as he slid away from his brother and walked to her as if nothing was wrong. "I'd almost forgotten that I gave that to you."

When he reached her, she looked at him and whispered in concern, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes," he smiled and took his coat. "We're just having a bit of a disagreement as brothers sometimes do. We're fine, really."

Both Xinyi and Olivia now looked at Jiayi, who stood in the same place, his expression an icy mask to put her father's to shame. Those blue eyes were colder than Arctika during a blizzard, and their piercing gaze bitterly bounced from his brother to her. Then, as if honing in on her like a laser, the crown prince stalked towards her and stood before her, towering above her, and her hair stirred uneasily on her arms and on the back of her neck.

"If you value your life and the lives of your family, _stay away from Xinyi_ ," he growled at her.

"She can make her own choices," Xinyi said at the same time Olivia said, "I associate with whomever I please and I don't let bullies tell me otherwise." She scowled at him, inwardly praying that her defiance and mouth didn't cause an interdimensional incident with the crown prince.

Jiayi's eyes merely narrowed. "You will live to regret your decision," he answered. It was not a threat, she quickly decided as he then stormed off in the direction that he'd originally came.

"I must go to him," Xinyi told her with a sigh as he watched his brother leave. He turned to face her. "I fear he might do something rash."

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, now concerned.

He smiled and shook his head no. "I can handle my brother," he told her. "But thank you for your kind offer." Tenderly, he planted a kiss on her cheek. "I will speak to you in the morning. Good night, Lady Olivia."

After Olivia watched Xinyi chase after Jiayi, she hurried back to her father's quarters, wasting no time staying out in the open. If the crown prince wanted to, he could make life Hell for her in short order, but that wasn't what made her run once again for her father. She remembered all too well that the people of _this_ world didn't want her, like she was born hated, and she was. Damn Xinyi for making her forget that for a while.

"Livy, is everything okay?" the Grandmaster asked her in concern when she exploded through his door and slammed it completely shut.

 _Where to begin_? she asked herself as she gulped down air and the painful knot welling up in her throat. Panting, she wrenched her eyes shut and allowed her head to sink down in defeat, trying to decide exactly where to start. But then she caught sight of Miyuki, who had moved from her spot by the fireplace to a couch where she clearly intended to sleep for the night, and Olivia swallowed her emotions so the woman couldn't see the chink in her armor.

"Olivia?" her father repeated as he now slid out of his bed and approached her.

"It's nothing," she finally said, never taking her eyes off her aunt.

"You're lying to me," he accused and crossed his arms.

She tensed and met his eyes. "I _said_ it's nothing."

"I don't believe you," he replied.

"I don't believe you either," Miyuki now chimed in, crossing her arms as well. "You don't just come into your father's room like that for no reason."

"Who asked you?" Olivia snarled at her. "You don't even _know_ me."

"I know that your father doesn't deserve to be lied to," she said. "It's disrespectful."

The young Cryomancer scoffed at that. "So is _killing_ your father, but that didn't stop you, now did it?"

"Olivia, that's enough!" Kuai Liang now snapped at her. "Apologize to your aunt."

She scowled. "No."

"Olivia." His tone had dropped at least an octave.

"I'm not sorry for what I said," she hissed at him. "She needs to shut her mouth and stay out of my business."

"What is the _matter_ with you?" Miyuki cried. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You were born," she shot at her.

"Olivia!" Tomas now cried. "Even _I_ know that was too far."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well, let's throw a parade. We finally found the line Uncle Tomas _won't_ cross."

"What _happened_?" her father now pressed her. "When you left here, you were on Cloud Nine. Fifteen minutes later, you're having a meltdown. Talk to me, Livy. I don't understand this, and I can't help you if you don't tell me what your problem is."

"I never _asked_ you for your help," Olivia shot back. "I never asked for you to bring the queen of the psychopaths along for the ride, I certainly didn't ask to go out with Xinyi, and I _damn_ sure didn't ask to be born." At that, the tears she'd been fighting all along finally broke through and streamed down her cheeks. Angrily, she wiped them away.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" he now demanded to know, his face a bewildered frown. "Did he do something to you?"

"Just leave me alone," she snarled at everyone before she stormed from the Grandmaster's quarters to rejoin his guard detail for the night.

* * *

 **The Titan's Shadow, I don't know that I'd call it a masterpiece of a chapter, but thank you regardless LOL Yeah, you're absolutely right. People have really come out in support of me about that, and there were other things driving my internal debate on whether or not to delete my stories, but ultimately, since more people like my stories than hate them, I'm not going to let the minority affect me. For something that started as a pure distraction from the stress of grad school, I've really worked hard for the eight years to write enjoyable content for my readers. I like doing this along with making original content. So why am I going to give that up for someone I don't even know?**

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, what figures?**

 **Daniel Barga, you know, it _was_ tempting to have Kuai Liang kill Reiko right then and there, but I've got this fantastic idea for this story and trust me, you'd ultimately be robbed if I'd gone that route. I'm very excited for what I'm going to do. I wish I could spill the beans right now and tell you all what's going to happen! Anyway, thank you for your support. I'm glad that you enjoy my stories so much :) **

**Obelisk of Light, oh, Kuai Liang _is_ protective of her, but he couldn't do more to Reiko without risking an interdimensional incident with his people about jurisdiction and such. As for Reiko giving up too much information, did he _really_? ;) Xinyi and Jiayi are kind of easy for me to write in the sense that they're like me and _my_ brother - we are like night and day with my brother being the extroverted, popular one and me the cranky, sullen oldest child. But there our similarities end. And with Tsai Bing, you _may_ be on to something...**

 **InfernoRage, thanks :)**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, your review has _me_ hizzyped LOL**

 **jonty2600, you're right; extremists say stuff online that they'd never have the guts to say to my face, and those people should never be taken seriously. I'm glad you think so highly of my stories - and to be compared to _Star Wars_? That's one of the highest - if not _the_ highest - compliments I've ever received. Thank you :D**


	6. The Attack on Mòhé

Reiko's prison cell, in spite of the silence deep in the bowels of the earth, was oddly noisy with the low crackling of torch flames, the jingling of the Seidan chains around his body, and the rustling of his robes against his skin. Reiko himself remained largely silent, however, his attention fixed on the shrouded visitor standing before him, eyeing his guest up and down as he spoke of their shared goal. Visitors were undoubtedly forbidden to come here alone, the General knew, especially ones who would make such unpopular promises. But that just made those promises all the more interesting.

He was cloaked and hooded in a tattered black robe, his features obscured by shadow. Reiko found himself amused by this childish attempt at cloak and dagger, and he veiled his predatory grin. As if such a simple disguise could hide this messenger's identity from the mighty Outworld General. Havik had already told Reiko of his ally in Mòhé who would make contact as soon as he was captured by the Cryomancers. Still, he allowed the man his charade, and he listened to his words and considered them, quickly weaving them into his plans, calculating how they might contribute to his efforts.

"Why?" When Reiko finally spoke, interrupting the last of the messenger's presentation, his voice was silky and sultry, dangerous, like the rattling of a snake's tail. "Why are you here?"

Though his face was shrouded by darkness, he started as if surprised. "We all know that you are a capable General and an effective leader," he opened, his voice on the cusp of uncertainty. "Warriors - even your enemies - respect you. We study your tactics from the time we are children. If anyone is capable and strong enough to take Shinnok's amulet, it is you-"

"Yes, yes, yes," Reiko impatiently cut him off. "I understand _that_ , and I _do_ appreciate a good ego-stroking from time to time, especially when I'm locked up in Seidan chains and it wasn't by the hands of a beautiful woman. I mean, why betray your people to an outsider, especially one who aided in the slaughter of thousands of Cryomancers when Shao Kahn laid siege to this Realm?"

"I...do not like what Mòhé has become," he said cautiously. "I am loyal to my people, General. But there are those - two very powerful ones in particular - who do not share my vision for the Cryomancers. I merely wish to mold my homeland into something it should be, and if that means serving you in your conquest to seize the amulet and punish the half-blood Cryomancers who stopped you last time, then I am yours, now and forever."

Reiko jerked sharply forward and his chains jangled until they went taut. "What Grandmaster Sub-Zero and his daughter did to me is of less importance than you seem to believe," he snapped.

His hood twitched again, not even trying to hide his surprise now. "But you told them-"

"I know what I told them, and I said it because it is always entertaining getting inside that lovely girl's head," he confessed, now relaxing once more. "But I'm a patient man. I certainly am patient enough to avoid seeking something as petty as retribution for a battle well-fought. They will get theirs in the end, especially her, and especially if you get your way about it."

"My way?" he repeated.

"Oh, come now," Reiko sneered. "Did you forget I can see into your soul and know your heart? I do not actively seek revenge on her, but I also do not mind this little distraction to keep her preoccupied." He looked deep into that silent hood, thinking of his own plan of distraction that he need not share with this messenger. He nodded slightly. "You may carry on with your game if it amuses you just so long as it doesn't interfere with my goals. In the meantime, you know why I'm here. Show me."

The hooded man produced a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. His cloak shifted and rustled as he searched for his prize. Then, with a simple flick of his wrist, it sat unimpressively upon his outstretched palm. It was just a serpentine dagger, clunky and old, with a pair of intertwined dragons forming the handle and crossbar. There were much more effective weapons to be found in any of the Realms, and certainly there were many more that were more beautiful to behold. And yet, this one was one of the rarest ever forged.

Reiko started to look away from it, and he found that for the briefest moment that he couldn't. The dagger seemed more solid, more weighty, more _real_ than the mysterious man holding it, more real than this dungeon, and even more real than himself. It tugged at his gaze like a petulant child who would not be ignored, refusing to relinquish its grip on him.

He saw it for what it was, even though that was an impossible feat for others. He saw, and he knew that the metal from the original plate had been melted down and reworked by Onaga's knowing hands, fashioned into weapons that Reiko suspected were highly symbolic to the old Dragon King. This dagger was ages old, forged from the soul, the very essence, of Outworld. On some primal level he could sense but not hear, it vibrated with the Realm's purest energy.

"Are you sure it's Outworld's?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Quite sure, General," he said. "Emperor Koa'tal entrusted it to the Cryomancers after the Battle for Z'Unkarah three years ago. And now I'm entrusting it to you. If," he added intently, "you swear to me that you'll help me achieve _my_ goals as well."

"Yes…" Again, Reiko's gaze had locked on the dagger. "I agree to your terms."

Within his hood, perfect teeth glinted in a crooked smile. "Well, then, General, I think it's time to let you out of those chains…"

* * *

Kuai Liang was in the middle of a mildly disturbing dream where he found himself ice fishing on a dirty, polluted lake when he was suddenly jarred awake by a loud explosion and the subsequent shockwave shaking the earth around him. It violently bucked him from his bed and he yelped in surprise as he tumbled to the stone floor. Nearby, he heard both Tomas and Miyuki, who'd stayed in his quarters on the couches for the night, also fall to the floor with a loud cry. Around them, the walls continued to groan and quake, and rock and dust sifted from the ceiling where a large crack began to form.

"Livy!" he cried for his daughter, who had stubbornly stayed on guard duty outside his quarters since their argument hours before. He wasn't quite surprised when there was no answer. She probably couldn't hear him over the angry roar of the earth.

With great difficulty, Kuai Liang climbed to his feet and staggered towards the doorway, struggling to walk as the ground swayed. He heard another loud explosion, this one carrying with it the sounds of people screaming, and it threw him to his knees once again. Stubbornly, determined to get to his daughter, he crawled towards the door now and finally reached it, and he used the doorknob to pull himself up.

"Livy!" he cried once again as he opened it and slid outside wearing nothing but his black pajama bottoms. A thin cloud of smoke twisted through the hall, prompting him to cough as his eyes immediately watered.

"Dad!" she responded from a few feet away.

She was currently pressing her hand against Roberto's shoulder to staunch the bleeding from where something large, probably a piece of the cracking ceiling, broke and fell onto him. His face was pale and he was grimacing in pain behind his red Lin Kuei mask, his body propped against the balcony wall that overlooked the city below, the city itself now on fire in spots as debris continued to fall from the ceiling high above. The other Elites, led by Sherman, Kuai Liang saw, formed a tight, protective circle around the door, blocking anyone who wanted to reach their Grandmaster without authorization.  
"You're going to be fine, Baja," he said to Roberto as he joined his daughter's side. He batted Livy's hand away and replaced it with his own against the deep flesh wound as he summoned his powers to the surface and gently froze the bleeding tissues. "It's not too bad."

That was a lie. His clavicle, Kuai Liang saw through the wounded layers of muscle and sinew, was smashed into pieces and would require major surgery if Anya couldn't heal him soon. Thankfully, freezing the injury slowed his bleeding and numbed much of the pain.

"Thank you, Grandmaster," Baja panted as Olivia gripped his other hand to comfort him.

"Grandmaster!" a new voice yelled, the sound of it echoing down the hallway, largely drowned out by the screaming from the city. He looked up and saw Prince Xinyi running towards them at a full sprint. Immediately, the Elites, now led by Tomas, formed a wall of bodies to shield Kuai Liang from a potential attack. But attack was obviously not what the young man intended because he breathlessly threw up his hands in deference, his face red, and shouted, "Reiko's escaped!"

"Oh, my God," Livy mumbled, and now it was she who turned pale.

"Smoke, let him through," Kuai Liang commanded and watched as his men parted like the Red Sea to let the prince pass by. "What do you mean he escaped?" he demanded to know. "You said he couldn't get out of those chains without help."

"He must've had help," he replied.

"Where's your brother?" Livy now asked as she narrowed her eyes.

Xinyi shook his head. "Helping to restore order below," he told her. "But he is not capable of this. He would never betray me or our people."

"You're the one who said he might do something rash," she shot back.

The prince shook his head even more adamantly now. "No, you do not understand," he argued. "There is much we have not told you. Namely, the reason we believe Reiko attacked us to begin with."

"And what's that?" Kuai Liang now coldly asked, not liking the sound of where this was going.

Xinyi stared at him closely. "After you slayed the Dragon King, Grandmaster, Raiden returned each of the kamidogu that Onaga stole to their respective Realms, and he gave Outworld's to Lord Koa'tal. But after Reiko attacked Z'Unkarah and attempted to take Shinnok's amulet, the Emperor thought it prudent to hide Outworld's kamidogu where it would be difficult for anyone to take and use as Onaga did all those years ago. And so, he entrusted Jiayi with it because he knew that it would be safe with the Cryomancers in Mòhé where very few souls have seen our home and lived to tell the tale." He sighed and looked at Olivia. "To Jiayi, protecting the kamidogu is of the utmost importance. He is its guardian. He would not betray us."

Kuai Liang now scowled at the prince, grabbed him by the lapel, and shoved him against the balcony wall. "You knew all along what Reiko was after," he snarled.

"But we weren't sure it was actually Reiko," Xinyi replied, swallowing hard. "We had to be sure it was him."

"You put my family and my men in danger," he hissed, seeing red at the prince's confession. "You should've told me from the beginning what we were up against." Now he shoved Xinyi against the wall again before he got to his feet. "Where is the kamidogu?" he snarled.

The prince looked up at him and stubbornly bit his lip, clearly reluctant to give up his secret. But then he shook his head in defeat and sighed. "In the throne room, hidden inside a compartment in the wall."

"Stay here," Kuai Liang now commanded his daughter, and the prince as well.

"What are you doing?" Livy asked him, replacing his hand over Roberto's injured shoulder.

"Going after Reiko," he replied before he motioned at Tomas. "Take the men and help the people."

"I'm going with you," his friend replied, frowning.

"No," he shook his head. "It sounds like there are going to be a lot of casualties throughout the city. They'll need you. And find Jiayi. I want a word with him."

Smoke looked as if he might like to argue some more, but he quickly stifled his objections and nodded obediently. "Yes, Grandmaster," he said as he uneasily eyed the prince and then motioned for the Elites to move out in the opposite direction.

Kuai Liang then darted down the hallway, his bare feet soon raw from running over the rocky debris, his body occasionally tilted one way or the other when a fresh round of aftershocks shook the city again. He passed through pools of burning orange light reflected from the fires roaring up the opposing side of Mòhé, and alongside a handful of corpses strewn here and there, crushed to death by the falling rock. He paid them no mind. There was nothing to be done for them now.

Soon, at the end of a long hallway and a smattering of additional living quarters on one side of the hall overlooking the city, Kuai Liang found himself in the throne room. The hazy and empty chamber sprawled out before him, itself large enough to hold a small village. The wall gaped open at the far end, revealing the passage to the more humane of Mòhé's two prisons as well as the hallway to the Bīnglěng Dì Dìyù and the spot the Lin Kuei had originally appeared. From atop an array of icy columns carved into the rock to create the illusion of support, dragon sculptures loomed, glaring down with sapphire eyes.  
Kuai Liang saw nothing in the throne room to cause him alarm, and yet he sensed something was close and formed a kori sword in his hands in response. His sharp instincts weren't ample protection, however. From the deep shadows cast by the door frame onto the adjoining wall, Reiko lunged at him silently, and now, the Grandmaster felt something hard slam into him and steal his breath, knocking his sword from his hands with a loud clatter. The force of the strike immediately knocked him to the ground, with him blindly spraying a jet of ice from his free hand into the nearby wall, freezing a nearly perfect circle on the stone. He groaned pitifully, his voice gurgling as he tried to breathe, shocked for a moment as he writhed on the ground. Soon, he felt his blood stream down his back, and he dully realized he'd been stabbed. But in spite of that grievous injury, he somehow pushed himself onto all fours and then staggered to his feet. Standing before him, holding an antiquated and bloody serpentine dagger in his hand, was Reiko.

"Greetings, Grandmaster," he said in a tone of smug superiority. "I should've known it'd be _you_ who'd come after me. I almost feel flattered that I've earned the Dragonslayer's undivided attention."

"I will _not_ allow you to do this," Sub-Zero growled.

"Do it? I've already _done_ it," he smirked.

The Cryomancer tensed perceptibly, but he restrained the scornful comment he was about to make because Reiko now leaped through the air towards him with his dagger poised to stab him again. Sub-Zero immediately deflected it with a new kori sword in front of him and then arched his arm through the air in a perfect circle, slicing at his opponent's neck. But now Reiko ducked and countered with another attack of his own to the same end. The two warriors traded attacks in this fashion for several long moments, but after several seconds had passed, neither had inflicted any real damage on the other.

Finally, though, Reiko landed a blow. He swung his arm at the Cryomancer and cut a diagonal line cleanly and deeply across Sub-Zero's bare and heaving chest from side to shoulder. Bloody streams bloomed from the wound like weeping red flowers as he stumbled backwards, groaning in stinging pain. Both edges of the wound shifted, feeling oddly loose like an open envelope, and he staggered for a moment, gingerly pawing at it as if he couldn't believe a knife could do such big damage.

The General, meanwhile, wasted no time gracefully springing into the air, flipping towards his opponent and stomping him in the chest with both feet. Sub-Zero cried out in more pain as he crashed into the throne behind him, his head snapping hard against the iron fractals from which it was made. Relentlessly, the General charged after him as his vision faded in and out for several long seconds, this time swinging his dagger at his head, and the Grandmaster barely had time to scramble out of the way before the blade hit him and gave him a matching scar on his other eye.

Quickly, Sub-Zero fell through sheets of ice and emerged behind Reiko, and then promptly stomped the stone floor with his bare foot. Panting hard, he watched as blue ice surged across the stone and slithered around the other's ankles, creeping up both legs like twin snakes, freezing him into place.

Reiko scowled in concentration as he twisted his feet to break loose, but the ice held him fast because the Grandmaster had willed it so. Triumphantly, Sub-Zero stamped towards him like an angry bull on a rampage, his bloodlust quickening in his soul. In that moment, all his hatred, all his fury, all his lust for vengeance against the General for what he'd done to his baby girl exploded through him, and he threw what had to be the most powerful right hook he'd ever dealt to anyone in his life. The blow struck Reiko in the cheekbone, but the Cryomancer scarcely heard the loud crack of his eye orbit breaking over the sound of the ice shattering and Reiko flying through the air to the ground. It felt _good_ to hit that bastard so hard.

The General moaned as he held his free hand to his rapidly swelling eye. The Cryomancer saw his opportunity to finish him and lunged at him with a kori sword, but Reiko unexpectedly kipped up and then roundhouse kicked him in the face. Now _his_ eye socket crunched from the blow as his body rose into the air and an invisible cord yanked him violently down to the ground again. By the time he had landed, his eye had already swollen completely shut and blood poured from his nose, mouth, and ear.

With that, Reiko waved his dagger with a little flourish of his hands before he quickly straddled the stunned Sub-Zero and aimed it for his trachea, clearly intending to stab him to death. Ice spread through the Cryomancer's fingers as he tried again to block his enemy, and he connected with Reiko's gauntlet. Loud crackling filled his ears as the armor instantly turned to ice. But the movement only altered the General's course through the air, so instead of driving it through his throat, the blade pierced his left shoulder just above the clavicle. The Grandmaster howled. With a sadistic grin on his face, Reiko then jerked the knife hard to the left inside the wound, widening the hole, eliciting a blood-curdling scream that shrieked its way to the ceiling high above.

" _That_ seemed like it hurt," the General jeered, panting in exhaustion from their fight. "Don't worry, Dragonslayer, it'll all be over soon. For Olivia's sake, I swear I won't let you suffer much longer."

Now he relentlessly withdrew his blade only to stab the Cryomancer in the chest just below his right nipple, eliciting another tortured groan as it slowly slid between the layers of tissue. Woozily, Sub-Zero heard the swoop of air before him, saw the ambient particles of dust in the air swirling, and then the General quickly stabbed the Cryomancer yet again. This time, the serpentine blade punched between his ribs and pierced the lung beneath.

The pain was so blindingly terrible that the Cryomancer felt involuntary tears leak from his eyes as he pawed helplessly at his gushing wounds and then at his enemy, but Reiko calmly smirked as he pinned down his wrists and watched as his opponent started to weaken from blood loss. With much difficulty, Sub-Zero took a ragged breath as the ice that surged through his palms and fingers receded into his blood of its own volition. He was too weak now to use his powers.

"This is not the end for you, my friend. Only the beginning," Reiko wolfishly grinned at him as he cupped his cheek in his palm, cradling it almost compassionately. "And I will see you very soon."

With that, he withdrew the dagger from between Sub-Zero's ribs and stood upright before he ran off towards the tunnels leading to the surface.

* * *

In direct defiance of the Grandmaster's express order, Olivia had _not_ stayed put, and instead she bolted through the city after him to help him battle Reiko. She was only a few minutes behind him, delayed by falling rocks and detoured by the occasional fire, and when she emerged in the throne room with Miyuki on her heels, she was just in time to see the General escape through the opposite doorway. And to her horror, he had left her father in a bloody mess on the ground.

"Dad!" she squealed as she slid on her knees to his side. His color was pale and one eye - the other was black and swollen shut - weakly looked at her when she arrived. "Oh, my God," she muttered as tears sprang to her eyes. A quick glance over his body revealed several knife wounds and a growing pool of blood around him. "Dad, hang on," she babbled as she pressed her hands onto two separate wounds, freezing the flesh to slow his bleeding. It was no use, she thought, as the tears flowed freely now and blood bubbled through the other injuries. It was like a cartoon she recalled seeing as a child where the garden hose had sprung a leak, but when the character stopped it up, two more leaks revealed themselves.

"Livy," he croaked, his voice barely a whisper. Blood now gurgled in his throat and spilled over the sides of his mouth.

"I've got you, Dad," she whispered back, the words cracking in two in her mouth. Unbeknownst to her, she had curled her arm beneath his neck and took him into her arms before she started rocking him back and forth as if he was a small child. Somewhere deep inside, in a place inside her soul she didn't even recognize, the motion comforted her anguish. "Hang on."

Her hand, which was now stained and slick with his blood, found his and squeezed it. _Please don't take my daddy_ , a childish voice inside her prayed to no one in particular. At the thought, she sobbed as she kissed his forehead and then stroked his hair with her free hand. Oh, God, there was just so much blood.

"Kuai Liang?" Miyuki asked, her tone small and afraid. She now knelt beside her older brother.

Olivia looked at her. "Go get Reiko!" she barked, her voice spiraling upwards into near-hysteria. "You get that son of a bitch and bring him back here _now_!"

Her aunt's blue eyes went wide in terror and surprise, and she furiously shook her head no. "I can't," she breathed, now crying as well. "I'm sorry."

"You have to!" she yelled. "You have to stop him! I can't leave my dad."

"I haven't fought anyone in years," she tried to explain. "I'm not a warrior anymore. I just can't."

"Go get him!" she shrieked, feeling her heart spin wildly out of control. "I don't care _who_ in the hell you are. You can't let him get away."

"I'm sorry," Miyuki looked at her apologetically.

Olivia scowled at her, the cold fury gnawing away at her with nowhere to go. She knew if she didn't release it quickly, it would consume her altogether. With a heart as bitter as a walk through Arctika in winter, she held up her ice-charged palm and aimed it at the fearful Cryomancer. "Then get away from us before I kill you, you coward," she growled.

"Olivia!" she yelped, truly stunned by this turn of events. She shouldn't be, her niece thought. It was what she should've done all along.

"Get away," she repeated, and this time she summoned what moisture there was in the air to her hand, and forced it to chill beneath her palm to form an ice ball. This wasn't a threat, she mentally told Miyuki, this was a promise. Her cowardice was a slap in the face to everything her father stood for. The gesture worked. The older Cryomancer slowly backed away, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Kuai Liang!" Tomas' voice now shouted from the hallway and, within moments, he emerged in the doorway, flanked by both Xinyi and Jiayi. He took one look at his friend on the floor and was immediately at his side too while the princes looked on in concern.

"Uncle," Olivia whined to him as the cyber-ninja scanned him with his automated gauntlet. "Look what Reiko did to him. I don't think he's gonna-" She couldn't bring herself to finish her statement, and instead dissolved into frightened tears. She wrapped her arm around him even tighter and pressed her forehead to his once more.

"We need to get him back to Earthrealm to your mother," the Enenra told her as he tapped a button on his gauntlet and watched as a hologram of Raiden appeared and hovered just above a glowing orb embedded in the nanoweave armor. "Raiden, quickly!" he cried. "Open the portal. The Grandmaster is hurt. Badly. I need to get him to Anya."

"Then I will take you directly to the Temple," he said before his image faded and a portal to Earthrealm suddenly exploded into existence near the main doorway to the throne room.

"Olivia, lift his legs," Tomas now ordered her, his voice unusually calm and collect. The young Cryomancer was glad for that because it helped to calm _her_. Inwardly, she was screaming.

"Yes, Uncle," she sniffed and hiccuped as she obeyed him.

"Kuai Liang, hold on," the cyber-ninja now said gently, but the Cryomancer was unconscious now and barely clinging to life. He looked up at Olivia again, and now also to Jiayi who had rushed to his side and moved into position to help Tomas lift her father. "On the count of three. One, two, three."

Together, they lifted the Grandmaster off the ground and carried him into the portal. As Raiden had said, it took them directly to the Temple, and they emerged into the portal room where Gat, Cyrax's son, was on duty, sitting in boredom behind the computer controls. His eyes went wide in surprise and he sprang to his feet when he saw them.

"Make sure my mom is at the infirmary," Olivia barked at him through her fearful tears, and he nodded his understanding as they rushed from the room. "Tell her we're coming!"

Their journey to the infirmary felt like it took years, and their going was even slower because her dad seemed unusually heavy. The young Cryomancer strained to hold her father's legs up, but it was a challenge, and Tomas and Jiayi bore the brunt of the burden. As they hurried along through the Temple, both children and adults alike stared at them in horror as they passed, and some of the youngest children even started to cry. Olivia couldn't blame them. The Grandmaster was as much of a father to them as he was to her.

"Anya!" Tomas shouted ahead of him when they finally reached the infirmary and exploded through the door. With a quick heave and a strained grunt, the Enenra tossed Kuai Liang onto the first exam table he saw.

"Oh, my God!" Anya, whose lavender eyes were wide with fear and confusion, yelped. "Oh, no, no, no," she now mumbled as she dashed to her husband's side and quickly began running her hands all over his chest, smearing the blood around. "What happened?" she cried, though there was no time for explanations now. She looked up from the Grandmaster at Olivia, who was covered in her father's blood with tears running down her face. She was sobbing. "Tomas, get her out of here," she barked.

"But Mom-" she argued.

"Olivia, _now_ ," Anya growled at her.

"Come on, _můj sladký anděl_ ," Tomas began as he gripped her by the elbow and pulled her away. "There's nothing more we can do. This is in your mother's hands now."

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, if by "Game of Thrones" you mean it's gonna get bloody, well...you know me. I love a good bloodbath ;)**

 **The Titan's Shadow, yeah, there's about to be a _lot_ of animosity and chick drama between Olivia and Frost. To answer your question, I definitely plan on bringing both Takeda and Erron back, though their presence probably won't be as much in this story as it was in _Ascension_. **

**Daniel Barga, LOL, you'll see Anya a bit more in the upcoming chapters, but like you said, the focal point will be more on Frost than her in this story. I'm glad you like the Zero family LOL I try to make them as realistic to a real life family as possible.**

 **FloweryNamesLover, it probably felt short because it was largely comprised of dialogue, but in truth, it was actually my longest chapter at 23 pages in Word. You know, I thought about making Olivia's date with Xinyi longer like you said and show more about what they talked about, but like I said, it was already at 23 pages and their discussion probably wasn't relevant to the story at all. The parts that were relevant were definitely shown. ;) Oh, Reiko's definitely a bastard - though in a different way than Rain was - but he's not the only one you'll see in this story...To answer your question, Rowena may make a cameo, but I don't want to promise anything since, as of right now, I'm not thinking that the Hydromancers will have much of a role to play. But I won't say no.**

 **ROCuevas, thank you!**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, LOL, yeah, I bet you could give Xinyi some pointers ;) But get ready for more roller coasters because I have some doozies planned for ya'll. :D**


	7. The Waiting Game

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say that Obelisk of Light is writing again, and after a long hiatus, is working on her story - _Power Play: Realms in Flux_ \- again, and just updated a new chapter. Go check it out and leave a review! And now, I return you to your regularly scheduled programming. **

* * *

Olivia stood alone, trembling outside the infirmary, feeling a painful scream building inside her throat as she stared at the blood caking her hands all the way to her shoulders. It smeared across her face as well, and only her steadily flowing tears washed any part of it away. But that scream remained. It wouldn't quite escape her - couldn't - and with each second it remained inside of her the pressure steadily increased with no relief valve to stave off the impending explosion. It only made her shake harder.

"Olivia, _můj sladký anděl,_ " Tomas said sympathetically.

Olivia looked at him and then felt her face crumple into an ugly, weeping mask when she looked down at her arms again and saw the drying blood. Still there. Still real. This was Reiko's doing. She fell to her knees amid the growing crowd of curious onlookers. Crumpling into herself, she released a choking sob, knowing that she, just like her father, belonged to the ruin the General had caused that day.

As she wept on the floor, thinking of how Reiko had only just begun exacting his revenge, Tomas dropped to her side, wrapped his arms around his niece, and pulled her close before he began rocking her to comfort her. Occasionally, he planted a few reassuring kisses on her hair. Both of them simply ignored the people gathering in front of the infirmary, including Prince Jiayi, who looked at both Lin Kuei warriors with cold, calm amazement.

And still she couldn't find her voice.

She wanted to shriek the most blood-curdling scream as she sat there, crying against her uncle's chest. Just a gut-wrenching howl ripped from her scarred throat, lifted to the ceiling and the skies beyond. She wanted to yell every swear word her father taught her not to say. She would've settle for a cut-off whimper, just so long as some kind of sound came from her lips, something that could adequately express her frustration and rage with Reiko's cunning.

"Livy!" she heard her brother, Tommy, yell through her thoughts before she caught a glimpse of him and Jamie, his twin, dashing towards her over her uncle's shoulder. Sam was hot on their tail, and Morgan not far behind them.

Uncle Tomas squeezed her more tightly then, then bowed his head down to whisper in her ear. "Time to put on your brave face, _můj sladký anděl_ ," he murmured as he lifted her to her feet.

His statement proved to be the proverbial slap in the face she needed in order to get a grip. She was the eldest sibling, and with that firstborn position came an unspoken vow to protect and care for the younger ones during dark moments. She knew that - she'd _always_ known that - and accepted it gladly. With their father barely clinging to life and their mother fighting to save him, Livy's brothers and sister needed her to be their rock. She was stronger than this, she reminded herself. Strong like a glacier carving away at a mountain. She could not let them see her melt into a puddle at the first sign of adversity, especially with someone as dangerous as Reiko loose in the world.

Olivia nodded her understanding and swallowed the last of her tears before she pulled away from Tomas and quickly wiped her face dry.

"Livy!" Tommy cried again as the Cryomancer took a long, shuddering breath to calm her frazzled nerves. When he reached her, he took in the sight of her and then gasped. "Jesus Christ!" he yelped. Then the seventeen-year-old Hydromancer took a cautious step towards his big sister. "Livy, what in the hell happened? Are you hurt? Where's Dad?"

"Oh, my God! Livy!" Sam's melodic voice yelped only moments later when she and Jamie joined them. "Are you okay?"

"We heard that Dad's hurt bad," Jamie now said.

"He is," she finally managed to say, swallowing hard. Her voice sounded unusually small to her own ears. She looked up to Tomas, who solemnly nodded, and then back at them. "He's in the infirmary. Mom's taking care of him. I...I don't know if he's going to make it. He's in really bad shape."

"But if Mom's taking care of him, there's nothing to worry about," Sam said, rather optimistically, Olivia thought. It was quite annoying at the moment.

"Let's hope so," Tomas told her, and now he patted her shoulder and flashed a reassuring smile. Olivia suspected that he, too, wanted to be their rock right now. "He is in quite capable hands," he said.

"Who did this to him?" Jamie now asked. He was scowling.

"General Reiko," Jiayi said, now stepping into their conversation.

"Who the hell are you?" Tommy asked him, wrinkling his lightly freckled nose in confusion. "And I thought Reiko was dead." He looked from Jiayi to his sister. "Didn't you kill that jackass?"

She nodded, and the painful scream crept into her throat again. She was ashamed as soon as she thought of the General. Their family was in danger - their father was _dying_ \- because of him. And somewhere deep in her heart, she knew it was her fault. She'd bested Reiko, but first she'd humiliated him. And now they would all pay the price.

"Apparently, I didn't kill him enough," she told them. "Someone resurrected him." With that, she gave them a quick summary of the last twelve hours to get them up to speed. And when she was finished, she looked to their guest. "This is Jiayi," she said. "The Crown Prince."

"And I need to return to my people," he anxiously told her as her siblings half-heartedly mumbled their greetings.

She exchanged a look with Tomas as she heard Xinyi's voice echo through her brain: _Reiko could not get free without help_. And then she remembered how Jiayi had attacked his younger brother only hours prior, accusing him of betraying his people because he had escorted Olivia - the half-blooded Cryomancer abomination - around the city. Many of the pure-blooded Cryomancers were not thrilled with the idea of letting go of past prejudices, and in spite of what Xinyi said about the younger generations wanting things to change for the better, she knew his brother was not one of them. What if, she wondered, Jiayi was so disenfranchised with the way Mòhé politics were going that he'd done something foolish...something _rash_...to put an end to it? Something like letting Reiko loose from the Seidan bonds that he couldn't slip without help…

Olivia almost opened her mouth to tell Jiayi he was now the Lin Kuei's prisoner, but she quickly stifled it. She had no proof that he was involved in this yet, only her suspicions based on his behavior. She would have to gather actual evidence against him and build a case before she took the Crown Prince prisoner and risked a war with the Cryomancers over him. At least, she reasoned, that is what her father would counsel.

"We'll send you back as soon as possible," she told him diplomatically to hide her distrust. "But it's not easy forming a portal to Outworld, especially if Raiden is preoccupied with helping the others in Mòhé like I think he is."

That was a lie and Olivia just hoped Tomas didn't contradict her in front of the prince about it. She glanced at her uncle, then, and he oh-so-subtly nodded his head. Good. He may not have understood her line of reasoning, but at least he was going to play along. If they wanted to trap their prey, they had to proceed with caution.

"My people need me," Jiayi said, clearly unhappy by her declaration. "I must return."

"Hey, I'm not happy about this either," she replied, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "Our people are still stuck over _there_ , in case you hadn't noticed. But before my father fell in battle against Reiko, he _did_ tell them to assist with the rescue efforts because he knew there would be a lot of casualties. So they'll gladly be helping your people."

Jiayi narrowed his eyes at her. "How quickly can I expect Raiden to return?" he asked her, his tone dropping.

Now Tomas cleared his throat. "Prince Jiayi," he began, crossing his arms and facing him, "surely I'm mistaken, but it almost seems as if you're eager to get away from us." He took a step closer to the Cryomancer. "But I'm certain that's not the case because as you and I both know, that would be downright insulting to the Lin Kuei."

Jiayi tensed. "I mean no disrespect to any of the Lin Kuei," he replied. "I am only concerned for my people's welfare. Who will guide them through this tragedy if not me? They _must_ see their prince working to comfort them in their hour of need."

"Xinyi is still there," Olivia reminded him, now crossing her arms as well.

He inhaled deeply and nodded almost petulantly. "Xinyi…" he trailed off, bitterly scoffing as he folded his hands behind his back and turned away from them. "Well, let us hope that Raiden returns me to Mòhé quickly."

Olivia bowed her head. "We can hope," she replied. "In the meantime, please, make yourself comfortable."

"I do _not_ intend to stay here very long," he replied.

"All right, be uncomfortable," she shrugged. "It makes no difference to me either way." Annoyed by him, she now faced Tomas. "Uncle," she began, "you should probably fill in Cyrax and the other Masters as to what happened. We need to figure out a line of succession if my dad doesn't pull through, and also a plan of attack."

The Enenra raised an eyebrow. "Well, look at _you_ ," he faintly smiled. "Perhaps your father is rubbing off on you after all." He smirked. "I will gather the Masters, and I will contact Bi-han," he told her as he rested his cybernetic hand on her shoulders. "We must develop a strategy in case Reiko comes to Earthrealm. But the line of succession is clear, Olivia. Your father named _you_ to be his replacement."

She shook her head. "No, Uncle, I'm not anywhere _near_ ready for that," she protested.

Tomas glanced over to Jiayi and then back at her. "Well, neither was your father. But, we can discuss that later," he told her. "In the meantime, go clean yourself up." Now he looked at the crowd milling around outside the infirmary, waiting for a glimpse of the action. "And all of you need to go find something else to do than stand here like a bunch of rubbernecking cows before I make all of you do burpees in the snow!" They didn't need to be told twice. Tomas never joked about such things. Immediately, they all dispersed, unable to get out of there quickly enough.

"I'm going to help Mom," Sam declared, now walking towards the door.

"No," Olivia told her at the same time Tomas said, "You don't need to go in there right now."

"But Uncle-" she protested.

"It's…" he trailed off and sighed. "Just no, _neteř_. Not unless your mother calls you to assist her."

"That isn't fair!" she yelped.

"As you will undoubtedly discover many times over the course of your life, Samantha, _life_ isn't fair," he retorted. "Stay out of the infirmary or you and I will have a problem."

Olivia watched her little sister's face fall into an unhappy scowl, clearly not understanding why she'd been forbidden to help their mother heal their father. So she pulled Sam to her by the elbow and rested her forehead against hers. "Sam, please just trust me on this. You don't _want_ to see him," she whispered. "Dad is in really bad shape. Just look at me! That should you give you some idea of how bad it is."

"But I can help, Livy," she argued.

"I know you can, little sister," she said. "But Dad wouldn't want you to see him like that, especially if Mom can't…" She trailed off, that scream building in her throat again, filling it with a sharp ache. She swallowed hard as tears prickled at her eyes. "Well, he wouldn't want that to be your last memory of him. So Uncle Tomas is right. Unless Mom comes out and asks you to help her, don't go in there."

Sam wrenched up her face, and Olivia knew she'd gotten through to her. "All right," she grumbled, wiping her own tear-filled eyes now.

"Promise me?" she asked, now looking deep into Sam's lavender eyes to coax out a vow.

"I promise," she muttered, still unhappy about this whole thing.

"Good girl," she said, planting a kiss on Sam's cheek. Now she looked at the others. "There's not much we can do except wait, so I'm going to go clean up."

"I'll find you if there's any development," Tomas told her. He looked very old, then. Old, and tired.

She nodded and then grudgingly left the infirmary and her family, finding it difficult to pry herself away but knowing she had to if she wanted to sell her siblings on the tough girl act. It didn't take her long before she was in her private quarters and in the shower, watching her father's blood trickle off her body and swirl down the drain in a pink stream. At the sight of it, and the memory of finding the Grandmaster in a dying heap on the throne room floor, Olivia began to sob once more, her tears hot and heavy. She turned up the water heat to conceal the feel of them from herself, until it was almost scalding.

Olivia wasn't quite sure how long she'd been standing there, sobbing, before she finally decided to get out to get dressed and perhaps take a nap if she could. Now that the adrenaline was fading from her blood, she realized she was quite tired, having been awake now for an entire day. Crying like an infant for the better part of the last hour hadn't helped much either. So quickly, she tousled her hair with her towel, wrapped another one around her body, and stepped into her room to get some clothes.

Unexpectedly, Jiayi was standing there, waiting for her.

Though his presence startled her, she refused to let this Cryomancer weasel know it. In her snottiest tone, she said, "Prince Jiayi, I realize that in Mòhé, men operate under the assumption that women are their property, therefore they feel as if they have the right to invade a woman's space." Now she scowled at him as she walked towards her wardrobe. "But here in Earthrealm, in the Lin Kuei Temple, men do _not_ come into a woman's space unless she has invited him first. And I do not recall inviting you into my quarters."

Olivia thought her comment would infuriate him, but instead, the corners of his mouth turned up in the faintest smile. So faint, in fact, that she doubted she saw it at all.

"You told me to make myself comfortable," he countered, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, anywhere but _here_ ," she growled. She turned back to her wardrobe and found a clean outfit to wear - black yoga pants, a black tank-top, and a baggy white t-shirt to go over the top - before she marched back to her bathroom and started getting dressed.

"You and I both know that Raiden has no trouble forming portals across the Realms," he called to her. "So that begs the question, why are you delaying me from returning to Mòhé?"

"I'm not intentionally delaying you," she replied as she pulled on her clothes. "Raiden told me - yesterday, in fact - that gods don't answer to the whims of mere mortals. I'm certain he'll be along soon to find out what happened, and when he comes, I'm equally certain he'll take you home." She quickly brushed the tangles out of her long white tresses, and then she walked back into her room. "And the sooner, the better."

"You don't like me," he deduced.

"Oh, don't take it personally," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't like anyone that thinks I'm an abomination."

Now he laughed. "Is that what you think?" he chuckled.

"What am I supposed to think, given how you treated your brother last night on account of me?" she shot back.

He nodded his head but didn't argue, and then he glanced to his left and pointed at her dragon egg on her desk, its shell black as night with streaks of cobalt blue cutting through it like shooting stars. "That is an ice dragon egg," he said. "Where did you come by such a treasure?"

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're implying," she hissed. "It was a gift. From Kotal Kahn."

"The Emperor holds his court in Z'Unkarah," Jiayi began as he walked to her desk and lifted it from its three-pronged stand. "Z'Unkarah is very hot and very far from Mòhé and the Bīnglěng Dì Dìyù where the ice dragons roam free. I wonder how _he_ came by this egg."

"Tsai Bing gave it to him," she said, not liking his arrogant tone. "And he gave it to me. It was a thank you for killing Reiko."

"Seeing that Reiko did not stay dead, perhaps you should think about returning it," he said, casting an expectant glance at her over his shoulder.

Olivia couldn't stop the seething exhalation that escaped her at his smugness. "I froze him to death," she replied, unable to resist the challenge. "And then my father smashed his body into a thousand pieces like glass. His resurrection is _not_ my fault. I'd just as soon he'd stayed dead." With that, she snatched her egg from Jiayi's hands and cradled it close to her.

"It's never going to hatch, you know," he said, nodding at it. "It's too warm in your quarters."

"It's not going to hatch at all," she scoffed. "It's petrified."

"According to whom?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"According to the Emperor," she replied.

Jiayi chuckled again. "And you believed him?" he asked, shaking his head. "He is _not_ a Cryomancer, Lady Olivia. He wouldn't know."

"But Tsai Bing would," she countered.

"Doubtful," he said. "Tsai Bing is adept with a great many things. Zoology, however, is not one of them." Now the Prince sighed. "Give me your hand," he commanded. "I'll show you." He extended his hand for her to take, and she looked from it to him suspiciously. Her reluctance prompted a small chuckle, and he said, "It's just a hand, Olivia. I'm not going to hurt you."

She quickly weighed the pros and cons of taking his hand in her head, but finally the pros won out. He was, she decided, for all intents and purposes, a prisoner in the Temple, with no place to go. He wouldn't dare hurt her here, in her home. He'd never get out alive. He may have been a pompous ass, but he wasn't a stupid ass. With a reluctant sigh, Olivia gingerly rested her hand on top of his. She didn't know what she should expect, but it certainly wasn't for him to take her hand and place it on the egg's hard shell, covering it with his own.

"What do you feel?" Jiayi asked her.

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "It's hard...like stone."

"Cold?" he pressed.

"I guess," she agreed. "Nothing out of the ordinary. It _is_ petrified, after all."

"No, that is what an ignorant non-Cryomancer would say," he spat. "What do you _feel_?"

Olivia indignantly frowned at him and then inhaled deeply. At first, there was nothing, so she knitted her eyebrows together to concentrate harder. It took several long moments, and impatiently, she was about to admit defeat like she really was an ignorant non-Cryomancer like Jiayi had said.

But then, she felt it. It was cold. Not the flat chill of an ordinary rock, she realized, but a frozen chill that any but a Cryomancer would find painful. It was like walking through Arctika in a blizzard, when, in the falling quiet, there was no sky or earth, only snow lifting in the bitter wind, frosting the window glass, chilling the Temple, deadening the world. Beneath her fingertips, she felt a fine layer of frost start to bite at her skin, though there was nothing there that she could see. Intrigued, she lightly traced her fingers across the comets in the shell, burning blue. Cobalt blue; Arctic blue. Whipping across the blackness like a dragon's tail. Something within the egg abruptly jerked at her touch, as if it sensed her as well, and then it stretched and twisted like a cat wanting a good belly rub. In spite of herself, Olivia laughed at the sensation.

"Well?" Jiayi pressed.

"I...I think it's alive," she stammered in disbelief as she looked at him with a smile. He met her gaze with his own, and he was smiling back, pleased she'd felt what he hoped she would. But then, Olivia remembered herself, remembered how dangerous he was, and quickly pulled away from him.

If he noticed her sudden apprehension, he ignored it and said, "If you want it to hatch, you should take it outside and bury it in a snowbank." He pointed through her large windows to the frozen plain outside. "Otherwise, it'll stay dormant like it has. Which, I believe, is a cruel fate for a creature such as this."

"I have more important things to worry about right now than hatching an egg," she replied, though she knew he was right. "My father could die."

Jiayi nodded. "I _am_ sorry about what happened to him," he told her. "You can tell much about a man just by looking at the men who serve him. _And_ women," he said as an afterthought. "The Grandmaster's men are loyal. And his family loves him." He looked at Olivia. "I believe he is a good man. He did not deserve this fate."

"Yes, well, I owe Reiko some payback," she grumbled as she placed her egg back on her desk. The tears threatened to come again. She sniffed, but stubbornly willed herself not to cry. "And I also owe some payback to whomever let that bastard out of his chains." She whirled around and faced the prince. "When I find out who let him out, I'm going to gut that son of a bitch like a fish."

Jiayi noticeably tensed but merely nodded. "That _is_ your prerogative," he agreed. "But that might not end how you expect. I counsel caution. Reiko's allies are arguably as dangerous as he is."

"Undoubtedly," she said, glowering at him.

"I am well aware that you defeated him once," he began. "But he is a cunning fox and he adapts quickly. You are not likely to beat him a second time. Especially now that he has help. He will not make the same mistake twice."

Olivia started to ask him what mistake he was referring to, but at that moment, there was a knock on her door. Without waiting for her to answer, it opened and Jamie peeked in. He took one look at Jiayi and scowled.

"Are you okay, Livy?" he asked, now fully entering her quarters.

"Yes," she replied. "Prince Jiayi was just leaving." She glowered at the prince, silently dismissing him. He frowned back but nodded his acquiescence as Olivia looked back to her brother. "What is it?"

"Raiden's back with the others," he said. "Including Aunt Miyuki. They're all at the infirmary."

At the mention of the traitor, she scowled. "Oh, I have a bone to pick with her," she growled. And without another word, she stormed from her room back towards the infirmary.

As her brother had said, the squadron was there with Raiden and even Xinyi, but it was not them that she focused her attention on. Her eyes honed in on Miyuki like a laser, and just as the older Cryomancer began to greet her, she was cut off by a fearsome two-handed shove to the chest powerful enough to hurl her into the nearest wall. Olivia was practically on top of her before the bricks finished crumbling to the floor around them.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here!" she shrieked. Her uppercut did not merely lift Miyuki off her feet, it sent her hurtling up and back with enough force to shatter the table she landed on where she finally fell. Wood splintered and glass broke under her weight. By the time she'd struggled to sit, her jaw already a mottled purple, Olivia had closed the distance and wrapped her hands around her aunt's long, slender throat.

"Traitor," she growled, her very voice ice.

"I'm not a traitor," she gasped, trying futilely to yank Olivia's hands from her neck.

"Olivia, let her go!" Tomas yelled at her before he tried to yank her off her aunt. He only succeeded in getting her to release her throat.

"No!" she shrieked, lunging for her throat again. "She let Reiko go! Coward!"

"I couldn't go after him!" Miyuki cried.

It was too much for Olivia. She slapped her aunt. "You saw what he did to my dad!" she screamed. "And you let him go! You should have stopped him." She slapped the woman again.

At that point, Tomas wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist and hoisted her off Miyuki. Morgan, meanwhile, pulled Miyuki back and then lifted her to her feet. Her eyes bewildered and wounded, she looked at her raving niece fearfully as she wiped the blood from her nose. Olivia shouted several words in several different languages, and even though many of the onlookers didn't recognize them, they hardly needed fluency to tell that the words were furious curses.

"You don't understand," Miyuki now gasped, sobbing. "I was...I was scared." She dropped her head in shame.

"Coward!" she shrieked again, now trying to wriggle from Tomas' grip. "And you're a liar! I know what you've done! You just wanted my dad to die."

"That's not true!" she yelped, her face pleading with Olivia to believe her. "He's taken care of me. And far better than I had a right to ask for."

"Then you were scared of Reiko!"

"I wasn't afraid of Reiko," she wept, now meeting her niece's eyes. "I was afraid of myself!"

Olivia stopped struggling against her uncle for the briefest of moments and looked at Miyuki skeptically. "Like I'm supposed to believe that," she scoffed.

"It's true," she said. "You _think_ you know who Frost was, but I promise you that you don't." She sighed. "I'm not afraid of Reiko. But if I went after him, then I would _have_ to become her again, and I can't. Because once I do, there's no going back." She shook her head apologetically. "I can never fight again. It's too dangerous."

"Olivia, she's telling the truth," Morgan told her, and now the Cryomancer noticed that her best friend had an iron grip on Miyuki's wrist.

"She's still a coward," she spat, now throwing off her uncle's arms. Then she pointed at her aunt. "Start looking for somewhere else to live," she hissed.

"Olivia, your father meant for her to stay here," Tomas gently told her.

"Yeah, well, my _father_ could die," she snapped. "No thanks to her."

"Olivia Sullivan," Raiden at last intervened, "when anger enters, wisdom prepares to leave."

"Stow it, Raiden," she growled. "I'm not in the mood for your fortune cookie kernels of wisdom right now, in case that wasn't immediately apparent."

"Indeed, I can see you would much rather fight with the entire world than think about your problems logically," he shot back.

"Look here, you-"

The unkind words Olivia were about to deliver were abruptly interrupted by the infirmary door opening and Anya peeking out. Her scrubs were stained with blood and she looked quite pale, almost translucent like a ghost. It was a side effect of healing such gravely wounded people, the young Cryomancer knew. Olivia refused to think it was because her mother was suffering from shock because her father had…

"Mom?" she tentatively asked as she stepped towards her. "Is Dad-"

"I healed him," Anya answered, nodding emphatically.

"Oh, thank God," she muttered as she threw herself into her mother's arms and held her tightly, crying now. To cry was to release the ugly little pressures and tensions that she'd been holding in since she'd found her father laying on the throne room floor. Like waking out of a long, dark dream to a sun-filled day. In a moment, the twins and Samantha joined her, and they all stood there, crying like children over the good news.

Her mother returned their embrace, but looked around, beyond, gazing at Tomas. Finally, when she spoke again, it was just a simple phrase, but something Olivia found in retrospect to be horrifying: "I think something's wrong."

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, don't be so silly, _of course_ things are going to get worse. ;) **

**Obelisk of Light, hey, don't rule out an MKX comic book massacre. I _am_ a fan of those LOL**

 **Luishunter65, I planned on it, but in a very limited capacity.**

 **The Titan's Shadow, hehe thanks :)**

 **Daniel Barga, thank _you_ for reading it. This chapter didn't deliver as much action, but you can bet upcoming ones will. **

**Westcoast Witchdoctor, of course he's gonna be okay. For now, anyway ;) Frost definitely has a lot of fears to overcome, so it'll be interesting for me to write that evolution. Do you know how hard it is to _not_ make her a homicidal bitch? As for Reiko's buddy...you _should_ worry about him. **

**en-lumine, I don't know if I'm on a roll, but I definitely appreciate the vote of confidence. But you've known me for _how_ long and still can't believe I'd leave it on that cliffhanger? It's like you don't know me at all LOL **

**ROCuevas, thank you. But it's only been two weeks since I last updated, and every week before that LOL I guess I can take it as a compliment that it feels longer to you.**


	8. The Darkness Within

Through her touch, Anya sensed her children's sudden fear by her declaration that something was wrong with their father, sensed their hearts fall into their stomachs and churn nauseatingly at the news, even as they withdrew and looked up at her with horrified expressions on their faces. She vaguely wondered if she should have shared that with them, let alone so dramatically, but she was drained from working on her husband, and she was shocked by what she had felt. It was like an infection, she dully realized, like germs had gotten deep down, all the way to Kuai Liang's soul, and infected it with something crimson...something like... _blood_. And it was festering.

"What do you mean, Annalise Sullivan?" Raiden now asked her, gazing at her sternly.

Anya swallowed hard and shook her head helplessly. "I don't know," she quietly replied. "His body is healed and he's sleeping right now because I gave him a dose of morphine. But there's just...there's just something wrong. His body and soul feel sick...misaligned. And he's angry. Very, very angry."

"I will examine him," the Thunder God reassured her.

The nurse nodded and led him as well as Tomas into the infirmary, straight to the only proper hospital bed there was in the Temple where Kuai Liang was resting. He was still on his back like she'd left him, breathing in slowly and deeply, an IV and a blood transfusion steadily trickling fluids into one arm, an automatic blood pressure cuff and pulse ox sensor attached to the other, his body cleaned of all the blood that had drenched him earlier. Several washcloths drying with clotted blood filled up the laundry basket full of bio-hazardous material nearby him, a testament to all that he'd lost. She'd had to yank off his pajama pants in order to bathe him, but she'd covered his nakedness with a sheet and green hospital blanket to preserve his modesty.

"He looks much better than he did, _miláčku_ ," Tomas remarked. Anya nodded but said nothing.

Raiden, meanwhile, leaned over Kuai Liang's bed and rested his palm on the Cryomancer's pale forehead. His sky blue eyes slowly closed. Occasionally, he wrenched his face into a mask of deep concentration, searching for something. To the Grandmaster's wife, it took hours for him to pull away, but at last he did and then set his hands on her shoulders reassuringly.

"I, too, sense what you described," he told her. "But I cannot find the source. Given that Reiko did this to him, and magic is Reiko's favorite weapon, I expected to find some sort of a spell wrapped around Sub-Zero's soul. But there is nothing, Annalise."

"Perhaps he's just really angry that Reiko defeated him in battle," Tomas offered, shrugging lightly.

"Not now, Tomas," Anya snapped at him.

"Annalise, there may be something to Smoke's theory," Raiden defended the cyber-ninja. "Since Reiko nearly killed your daughter, the Grandmaster has harbored very deep and very bitter resentment towards him. It is possible that he is angry that Reiko defeated him, yes, but also that he feels like he has failed to protect Olivia from him once again."

"That's just silly," she countered. "Olivia came home unharmed."

"But she _was_ very upset when we found out Reiko was still alive," Tomas told her. "Kuai Liang was furious that his resurrection had opened many of her old scars."

That made sense to the nurse, and she shrugged in faint agreement. "This feels worse than anger, though," she told him.

"I agree," Raiden said. "However, you are no stranger to Sub-Zero's feelings of devotion to and protectiveness of his children. I expect that his current state of mind is linked to that, as well as the trauma of nearly dying in battle, and he will get better within a few days." Anya started to argue with him, but he quickly raised his hand to silence her and said, "But _if_ he has not returned to normal in a week, I will re-evaluate his condition."

"I'll keep a close eye on him, then," she sighed, unhappy with the god's prognosis.

"Of this, I have no doubt," he smiled and then slid past her, leaving the infirmary. She and Tomas followed, and when they exited into the main hallway, Raiden looked at Olivia. "What happened in Outworld?" he asked her.

"Oh, you know, the usual," she replied. "Mischief and mayhem. Mostly mayhem." She shrugged and shifted her weight from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"What did Reiko want?" he now demanded to know. "Why was he in Mòhé?"

"If I may, Lord Raiden," Xinyi now interrupted Olivia, stepping forward. "When we interrogated him, I used Seidan magic to compel him to confess. He told us that he was after Shinnok's amulet."

"He took Outworld's kamidogu," Jiayi quickly added, now glaring at his younger brother and crossing his arms.

Anya saw the Thunder God perceptibly tense at the declaration. "Did he stab Sub-Zero with it?" he now asked in concern.

"I don't believe so," Xinyi hastily said, cowering somewhat under his brother's gaze, she noticed. "Reiko killed the guards in the dungeon with a knife as well, long before he acquired the kamidogu from its hiding spot in the throne room." He inhaled deeply and now looked apologetically at Olivia. "He may have crafted a weapon somehow, and it aided him in his escape. Your father is lucky that he didn't meet the same fate as my men."

"If what you say is true, I must take my leave immediately and ensure that the amulet is still secure." He looked at the Cryomancer brothers. "I will return you to Outworld now if you wish."

"Thank you-" Jiayi began to say but was promptly interrupted by his younger brother.

"If Reiko means to steal Shinnok's amulet, Lord Raiden," Xinyi began, "then I will gladly stay and help fight him."

"We must return home," Jiayi hissed at him, his face now a scowl. "Our people need us."

"Tsai Bing has everything under control," the younger argued. "But we owe the Lin Kuei a debt for the sacrifice their Grandmaster made to us. And I repay all of my debts, as you well know, Brother."

"Our people need us more than the Lin Kuei do," he growled. "We must return to Mòhé."

Xinyi frowned and walked to his brother's side. He gestured as he spoke in hushed tones that the others could not hear. Anya, however, was just close enough to them to make out what the younger was saying. "I would stay close to Lady Olivia," she heard. The young prince's tone was urgent. "I am fond of her. And if Reiko wishes to exact revenge on her, she will need someone to protect her."

"You are _not_ the person to protect her," Jiayi whispered back, his voice a soft snarl. "I expect you to return to Mòhé with me right this instant. You will be loyal to your people! You will be loyal to me!"

Xinyi furiously shook his head no. "I'm staying right here," he argued. "You're welcome to return if you like."

The Crown Prince's scowl deepened. "Then I'm staying as well," he replied. "Before the damage is irreparable." While Anya pondered what exactly he meant by that, he now took a step away from his brother and met Raiden's expectant gaze. "We have both decided it is prudent to stay to offer our assistance with Reiko," he told the Thunder God.

Raiden tilted his head in a slight nod before he lifted his right hand and summoned a branch of lightning into his body. It instantly whisked him away in a brilliant blue-white glow that blinded them all, leaving the Temple trembling with the clap of thunder in his absence. When Anya's sight returned, she cast her gaze onto Jiayi, whose face was a veritable storm cloud of rage not unlike Kuai Liang's when he was furious about something. Those piercing blue Cryomancer eyes stared at Olivia, who was now talking with Xinyi and her siblings, in such a way that it made the Hydromancer worry for her daughter.

"Tomas," she quietly said, summoning him to her side.

"What's wrong, _miláčku_?" he asked her as he joined her.

"I don't like the way that boy is looking at my daughter," she whispered, subtly pointing to Jiayi. "You know how the Cryomancers feel about her."

"Prince Xinyi said the younger generation wants those attitudes to change," he replied. "Still, I couldn't help but notice how eager Jiayi was to leave the Temple. He did _not_ want to stay to help us fight Reiko."

"Then why the sudden change of heart?" she wondered. "Unless he wants to keep an eye on Olivia, and _not_ to protect her like Xinyi just told him he wants to."

"It's possible," he agreed. "Maybe he wants to keep anything from happening between them. But it seems to me that he's a little too late for _that_."

Anya wrinkled her nose and brow. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice lilting higher in curiosity.

Tomas smirked at her. "I'll have you know that I am an _excellent_ matchmaker," he winked and now nodded at Olivia and Xinyi, both of whom were smiling and standing dangerously close to one another, in spite of the bad news hanging above their heads. Now he looked back to the nurse. "He's a prince, you know," he said as he crossed his arms proudly.

"So I gathered," she replied, faintly smiling.

"You're welcome," he said.

"My hero," she drily remarked but then looked up at him. "Tomas, promise me you'll help me keep an eye on that boy."

"He's not really a boy, Anya. He's like 10,000 years old-"

" _Tomas_."

"But yes," he replied, nodding his head. "I will keep _two_ eyes on him."

* * *

Kuai Liang awoke with a labored, startled gasp, and as he sat upright, he realized he was panting hard. It was that dream, he decided. He'd been ice fishing again, but this time the lake below him was gone and had been replaced with festering, stinking, clotting blood. The Blue Dragon - Eidotheia - was curled weakly around him like a tired snake miserable from the cold, but her vibrant blue scales were dull gray. She gurgled as she breathed. Her eyes drooped. He thought she might have died had his dream continued much longer.

As his faculties gradually returned to him and he realized he was back home in the infirmary in the Temple in Arctika, there was fury in him - at what he did not know. It was like a scorching ember or a drop of acid flicked onto his knotted viscera, a slow burn. It radiated upward and through the emptiness of his chest, roaring through his veins and arteries, and finally setting his heart ablaze. Just pure, unadulterated anger.

And there was something else too. He could feel it climbing through him. He could feel it on its hands and knees inside him, rising up: hunger. _No, not hunger_ , he argued with himself. _Famine_.

"Kuai Liang, you need to lay back down," Anya sternly told him as she now swept into the tiny room and went to the pump on his IV pole where multiple bags dripped fluids into his arm.

He blinked as she concentrated on it before innocently pressing some buttons, and he realized that she, with her gorgeous dark hair cascading over hourglass curves flattered by pink scrubs, was one of the many iterations of the hunger he was feeling. She was pure and maddeningly perfect, and worse, she _knew_ it, played it, dripped it, teased it. She enjoyed letting him suffer for it too. The damnable part was that it always worked: he _craved_ her. His desire for her was the kind of thing that devoured him alive and still left him feeling hungry.

"What are you smiling at?" Anya now asked him, and he finally noticed she'd quit fussing with the pump so she could look at him.

"You," he said, his predatory grin never leaving his face.

"Kuai Liang," she blushed and went about her routine, trying _very_ hard to look like she was busy. "Honey, you've lost an awful lot of blood. That's why I made you an honorary vampire for the day." She now pointed to the bag of blood trickling into his arm through the IV.

"I want you," he said, completely uninterested in his own transfusion.

She smiled again and kissed him on the cheek and then gently on the lips. "Thank you for decoding that message for me," she drily remarked, now holding his hand. "But you're too weak for that-"

"You think I'm weak?" he now snarled at her as he ripped his hand away.

She recoiled in surprise. "Honey, of course I don't," she scoffed. "That's _not_ what I meant. Babe, you were stabbed and-"

"So that makes me weak?" he snapped. "Reiko gets one lucky shot in, and you're calling me weak?"

Anya's eyes went wide. "Kuai Liang, what is the _matter_ with you?" she demanded to know.

"You don't think I have a right to be angry?" he now hissed before he scoffed. "Oh, I forgot, only _Anya_ is allowed to get angry at things."

"Obviously, that's not true," she countered. "But I'm not sure why you're angry now. I'm just trying to take care of you and help you get better."

"I don't need you to take care of me," he retorted. "Take this damn thing out of my arm right now."

"Absolutely not," she defied him. "You nearly died, Kuai Liang. Reiko came within a hair of killing you. If Tomas and Olivia hadn't have found you when they did, well…" Her face suddenly crumpled at that and she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to hide her pained expression.

"I'm not particularly surprised to find out that _they_ can't do what they're told either," he coldly replied. "But you're my wife and you took a _vow_ to obey me. So take this out of my arm. _Now_!"

"Honey," she began delicately, holding up her arms deferentially and stepping towards him. "Please listen to me. You suffered a lot of trauma to your body, and I think it's affecting your mood somehow. It's normal, but you need to rest if you want to get better. Give yourself time to heal. You'll be no good to your family or anyone if you don't."

God, he wanted to slap her right now.

"Reiko's on the loose - _Reiko_ \- but you think I should just stay in here and _rest_?" He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Why couldn't she understand? "You think I'm weak because I couldn't protect Olivia from him, and now you don't trust me to take care of my family, is that it?"

"Of _course_ not, but-"

Kuai Liang was done talking. Impatiently, he curled his fist around the tubing threaded into his arm and yanked it out, tape and all. There was a twinge of pain as it exploded from his arm and began oozing huge globules of blood, and the blood transfusion and saline sprayed watery crimson fluid across the room, splashing Anya. She yelped in surprise by his actions, and when she rushed to stop him, he furiously pushed her away.

"God _dammit_ , Kuai Liang!" she now yelled as he climbed from the hospital bed. "I don't think you're weak, but I'm beginning to think you're _stupid_ ," she then snarled at him.

Her venomous words prompted him to whirl around and point his finger at her. "I am the Grandmaster," he growled. " _You_ are not. So it's time for _you_ to learn your place."

"Oooh, you did _not_ just say that to me, pal," she retorted, her lovely lavender eyes narrowing with contempt, her hands clenched into fists at her side.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he draped a robe around his naked body and left the infirmary, even as Anya got on the comm system and he vaguely heard her call for Tomas to help her. Let her. Tomas knew his place. And if he didn't, he was going to learn it quickly.

As Kuai Liang walked, his arm wept blood from the crook of his elbow onto the floor. Little drops like proverbial breadcrumbs marked his path to his living quarters, but he didn't care, just as he didn't care that his head swam a little while he moved. He was the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. In spite of what his wife believed of him, he was _not_ weak and he _could_ protect his family.

"Kuai Liang, stop!" Tomas' voice called out close to his bedchamber. The Cryomancer turned to face him and saw him trotting towards him down the middle of the hallway.

" _There's_ my incompetent second-in-command," he hissed at him.

"Incompetent?" the Enenra bristled in indignation as he stopped only a few feet from him. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means I gave you a direct order," he snapped. "I told you to help the Cryomancers, not chase after me. And I _expected_ you to keep Olivia from following me as well. I didn't tell you that for my health. You _know_ that Reiko poses a real threat to her. And you let her endanger herself anyway."

"Be thankful that she _did_ follow you," Tomas snapped back. "If she hadn't come after you, you'd be dead now. She froze your wounds to slow the bleeding, and probably saved your life in the process."

"You and are going to have a discussion later to review your obedience and loyalty to me-"

"My loyalty?" he cut him off, his tone completely dumbfounded. "Since we were _children_ , I have been nothing but loyal to you."

"Clearly, your definition of 'loyalty' and mine are two very different things."

Tomas immediately rattled off a string of Czech words that Kuai Liang recognized as curse words, and he was about to address his lieutenant's insubordination when suddenly, a familiar feminine voice broke through their argument. He quickly whirled around and saw Olivia, who was accompanied by Xinyi, Jiayi, and Morgan, approach him from the other direction.

"Dad?" Olivia gingerly asked, and when he looked at her, she grinned. "Oh, thank God you're okay!" she cried as she threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I was so worried about you."

But Kuai Liang was furious with her. Coldly, he pushed her away and growled, "When I give you an order, I expect you to follow it, Elite."

Immediately, her cheeks flushed red and she cast a bewildered look at Tomas, who was deeply scowling. She took a step backwards and looked up to meet his cold gaze. "Dad, I don't understand, I-"

"You are confined to the Temple until you learn to respect my commands," he snarled. "When I tell you not to follow me, Tundra, I expect you to obey me. I am _not_ your father on the battlefield. I am your Grandmaster, and you will treat me accordingly."

"What did I do wrong?" she asked, her face a crushed, wounded mask fighting back tears.

"Everything that you _could_ fail at, you did," he replied. "Namely, following after Reiko and I. Was one outing with him not enough for you? Perhaps you wanted another encounter with him to shame yourself _and_ the Lin Kuei a second time."

"Kuai Liang, that's _enough_!" Anya snapped as Olivia started to cry. The nurse, who'd approached the group while he scolded their daughter, immediately went to her, hugged her, and glared daggers at her husband. "Stop this idiocy now. Get your ass _back_ in bed. And apologize to your daughter."

"I give the orders around here, not you," he retorted, and now he looked at Tomas. "Get Cyrax and my other advisers. We need to figure out where Reiko will strike next."

"Your wife is right," the cyber-ninja tensely told him. "You need to rest. You're not yourself right now, and I think it's Reiko's fault."

"Gather my advisers," Kuai Liang repeated, his words coming out in a low growl in between angry snorts, and now a cold fog wreathed his hands in a dangerous halo. Blue energy rippled up his arms. "I won't say it again."

Tomas inhaled deeply, the scowl on his face never fading, but at long last, he nodded in deference. "Very well," he agreed. "I'll gather them." He started to walk away, but Kuai Liang stopped him.

"And Smoke?" he called, prompting the Enenra to stop in his tracks. He looked at the Czech man. "If you ever presume to challenge my authority again, I will make Cyrax my second-in-command and _you_ will go into exile."

A smart remark hovered on the tip of the cyber-ninja's tongue, and Kuai Liang practically dared Tomas to say it. But at long last, he thought better of it and went about his business without speaking another word to anyone. The Grandmaster, however, glared at the man as he watched him go. It was ridiculous that it took this long for his old friend to learn some discipline, and when this was all said and done, he'd be setting everyone straight, starting with him.

When Kuai Liang was satisfied that Tomas was going to obey him, he wordlessly stormed towards his quarters again, blessedly alone this time, and replaced his hospital robe with black training robes. He wondered if anyone had thought of bringing back his clothes - namely his Dragon Medallion - from Outworld, and then angrily dismissed the thought. They probably hadn't, this dull, complacent lot. He scoffed in irritation. If the trouble in Mòhé had proven anything to him, it was how much his warriors left to be desired. Once this business with Reiko had been settled, he would personally oversee their grueling re-training, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the days of Oniro. Fun-time, he told himself, was over.

Once dressed, Kuai Liang stomped towards the kitchens and startled the Elites who were overseeing the children that were cooking lunch for the Temple. "Grandmaster, this is a surprise," Bay, Kailyn and Anya's much younger half-brother, said as he joined the Cryomancer's side and followed him through the maze of tables and appliances. "What do you need?"

"Why do people generally come to a kitchen, Whitewater?" he snapped.

Bay raised his eyebrow in confusion. "For food?" he cautiously asked.

"For food," Kuai Liang repeated in agitation. "So I'll thank you to refrain from asking idiotic questions from now on, Elite."

The Hydromancer bristled and blushed in embarrassment, but he remained quiet as the Grandmaster now yanked an entire roasted chicken from Li-ling, a fourteen-year-old who was carving the meat off the bone for the huge pots of egg drop soup. She, too, was bewildered but she said nothing, only bowed her head respectfully as he put his chicken on a plate with a heaping pile of vegetables and several biscuits that he slathered with butter and honey. When his plate was full, Kuai Liang wordlessly left them and marched to his office where he planned to eat his lunch while working through this Reiko issue.

He was glad to see that Tomas had actually obeyed him and gathered the Masters to his office, and all of them were waiting for him to arrive. They respectfully got to their feet as he entered, and he quickly surveyed them all. Tomas, Bomani, and Shen were there along with Finn and Blaze. Everyone was there, including an addition he hadn't asked for and wasn't particularly thrilled to see right now. The same dark hair, blue eyes, and strong stature could've marked him as - at least at a distance - Kuai Liang's twin.

"What are you doing here, Bi-han?" he demanded to know as he set his plate on his desk and sat down. On cue, everyone else sat down as well, and he began digging into his food with his fingers with no more grace and manners than a starving man.

"I'm glad to see you as well, Little Brother," he calmly retorted.

"Did Anya call you?" he asked with scorn before he ripped a chunk out of the breast and devoured it without hardly chewing. His wife was so meddlesome sometimes, and he didn't appreciate her calling his brother to tattle on him for not staying in bed. As if Bi-han could make him do anything.

But to his surprise, the older Cryomancer gently shook his head no, his face a calm mask betraying no emotion or indication as to what he was thinking. "Actually," he began, "Tomas called me. He said you had been badly wounded in battle and that I should get here quickly. He's already briefed me of the situation."

Kuai Liang raised his eyebrow. "Oh, he did, did he?" He glared at the Enenra before looking back to his brother. "Smoke tends to overstep his bounds a lot. It can be downright mutinous at times."

As Tomas noticeably tensed at the comment, a glimmering hint of surprise crossed Bi-han's face, but it disappeared as abruptly as it appeared. He then shifted in his seat and said, "I will stay to offer my assistance, Kuai Liang. If Reiko is truly after Shinnok's amulet, I will do everything in my power to stop him."

"I don't recall asking for or needing your help," the Grandmaster hissed, suspicious of his brother. He _hated_ the Lin Kuei, and he'd made it known several times since his rescue from Netherrealm that he wanted nothing to do with fighting anymore. Deep down, he knew Bi-han was only here to babysit him at Anya's request.

"And I don't recall asking for your permission," the eldest brother snapped back. "The last time Reiko reared his ugly head, he nearly killed you and Olivia, and in that debacle, I came to the conclusion that I had failed my family. I will not fail it again. Come what may, I _will_ protect you this time."

"Do you think me weak?" he snarled back. "That I can't lead my family and my warriors without _you_ stepping in?"

"I think Reiko is bigger than all of us," he calmly retorted. "And Shinnok is bigger than him. It will take all of us - Lin Kuei, Shirai Ryu, Special Forces, and the Shaolin - to stop this madness. It is not weak to admit this. It is prudent." Bi-han now leaned back in his chair and quietly watched Kuai Liang wolf down his lunch.

"If we are to figure out how to stop Reiko, we must first determine his plan," Bomani now said.

"I agree," Finn said in a thick Irish brogue. "Why did he attack Mòhé in the first place?"

"He was after Outworld's kamidogu, which was hidden in Mòhé in Prince Jiayi's care," Tomas told him and then shook his head.

"How did he infiltrate Mòhé?" Bi-han asked.

"He didn't," the Enenra shrugged. "His Tarkatan army attacked it directly, but the Cryomancers defeated them and took him prisoner. But somebody let him loose. Prince Xinyi had him wrapped up tightly in Seidan restraints, and he told us that there was no way Reiko was able to break those bonds on his own."

"I don't wager many people in Mòhé have the power to set him free of those," Blaze mused from his chair. "And the list of those with access is even shorter."

"This whole situation is incredibly suspicious," Bi-han declared. "Reiko's not a fool, but attacking Mòhé is a foolish move. He looked at Kuai Liang. "Did it never occur to you that he was playing you?"

"Of course it occurred to me," the Grandmaster hissed. "Unlike you, I'm personally familiar with his work."

"I know him just as well as you do, Brother, from a much darker time in my life," he retorted, and then he inhaled deeply. "I think he took a small contingent of Tarkatans to attack Mòhé to throw everyone off the scent. He knew there was no way to breech it with brute force, just as he knew the Cryomancers would kill all the Tarkatans before they had a chance to reach the city. Then he allowed them to take him prisoner, probably because he knew he could escape before they executed him."

"Because there's a traitor in their midst," Shen deduced.

"Yes," Bi-han agreed. "Reiko knew that someone in the city had the power and the means to break him loose so that he could retrieve the kamidogu. The question is, who would have the means?"

"Tsai Bing, Jiayi, and Xinyi," Tomas told him. "There may be others but those three are _definitely_ powerful men in Mòhé."

"What does he want with the kamidogu?" Bomani now asked. "He risked a lot to steal that one. Is there something special about Outworld's?" He looked back to the cyber-ninja, who nodded no.

"All the files I have on the kamidogu don't suggest there are any differences between them apart from each Realm's essence," he explained. "They're tied to each Realm's life force."

"He's not just after one of the kamidogu," Bi-han declared. "He's after all of them."

"And how do you know that?" Kuai Liang now asked, glaring at his brother, irritated that he'd taken charge of this discussion.

"Because of my time in the Netherrealm, I have unique insight into this present situation," he shot back. "There is a spell that Quan Chi studied often during my tenure as his slave, a spell that could break the bonds that hold Shinnok. He said it was a very old and very difficult spell, one that would require someone extremely adept at sorcery. Reiko is certainly adept enough to carry it out." He looked at all the men present. "It requires the kamidogu. All of them."

"Last time he went after Shinnok's amulet, he was working with a Chaosrealm agent named Havik who disappeared when Olivia killed Reiko in battle," Bomani reminded them all. "I think we should proceed as if they are working together again."

"Agreed," Kuai Liang replied. "We should also assume that he has Chaosrealm's kamidogu."

"It would probably be safe to assume he has Edenia's as well," Tomas added.

"Why should we assume that?" the Grandmaster coldly spat at him.

The cyber-ninja tensed again, scoffed, and bit his lip to hold back the stinging barbs hovering on his tongue. Sighing, he said, "Because _he's_ Edenian. It makes sense to me that he'd go find his homeland's kamidogu before the others."

"I agree with your logic, Smoke," Bomani said to him. "That leaves Seido, Netherrealm, and Earthrealm's kamidogu."

"How can we know which one he'll try for next?" Shen wondered.

"We can't," Kuai Liang told him. "We're going to have to prepare for any of them to be attacked next." He now looked at Tomas and Bomani. "Smoke, Cyrax, I want you to collaborate with General Blade. Perhaps she has the means to track his movement or predict his next target." Then he looked at the rest of them. "As for you all, prepare the Elites for battle."

* * *

That evening, after business had finished and he'd eaten alone like a pig in the Everest Room before spending a solid hour with the punching bag, Kuai Liang stomped to his bedchamber. The dark fire that burned inside of him like a hellish inferno had long since forgotten Anya's transgressions against him, and reminded him that he was still hungry for her. He found her there like he knew he would, standing at their bookcase beside the roaring hearth, looking for something to read. She had changed clothes by now, trading her pink scrubs in for a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top stretched tightly over her body. She clearly had plans to go to bed early, but when the Grandmaster spotted her, his already searing lust changed those plans for her. He made a beeline for her, growing hot and stiff just thinking about all that he wanted to do to her.

Anya didn't notice him until he was almost to her, but as she slid her chosen book from its spot on the shelf, she caught sight of him from the corner of her eye and turned to look at him. Timidly, she gazed at him and said, "Are you feeling better now, honey? What-"

Kuai Liang didn't let her finish her thought. Immediately, he grabbed her and shoved her gently against the bookcase as his mouth met hers. His hands burrowed deeply into her long, silky hair as he anxiously sucked on her lips, not understanding or particularly caring why he felt so ravenous for her. He just knew he wanted to touch her like he owned her, to take every inch of her repeatedly like there would never be another chance.

At first, she responded to his advances with stunned shock, clutching her book protectively to her chest until she realized what he was doing. But then, she distractedly dropped it on the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip-toes to reach his mouth better, kissing him just as passionately as he was kissing her. A groan escaped him as he pulled his mouth from Anya's, gripped her tank top with his hands, and carelessly yanked it over her head. He barely noticed how he accidentally snapped the back of her head into one of the shelves; his attention was instead fixed on her soft curves slipping like satin beneath his calloused hands.

"Ow!" she yelped but he abruptly silenced her with another kiss. She allowed him to probe her mouth with his tongue for a moment, but when she pulled away for a breath of air, she gasped, "What has gotten _into_ you today?" she wondered.

"Do I need a reason to want you?" he challenged her, the ache in his groin building as he nibbled a path from her ear to her shoulder.

"I'm just worried that you're trying to do too much too soon," she argued, closing her eyes and sighing. "You lost so much blood."

"You healed me Anya," he protested. "I'm fine. Stop ruining this with all the talking." With that, he grabbed her sweatpants and underwear as one before violently yanking them down. That fire inside of him burned even brighter.

Kuai Liang briefly admired her naked body before he scooped her into his arms and carried her to their bed where he dropped her onto it. She bounced with a little yelp while he quickly stripped as well. She had barely pushed her now-messy hair from her face before he had tackled her with an animal-like growl, pinned her outstretched arms to their comforter, and thrust into her body.

He rode her as fiercely as he ever had, drowning in her cries of pleasure, savoring the way she called his name as if no one could hear her. Hungrily, he wrapped his arms beneath the small of her back and pulled her harder into him, his love and lust for her blending into one indistinguishable feeling now, quickening with every second, somehow drawing out even longer than it normally would. But when that moment of pleasure finally came, he and she reached it together.

Kuai Liang stayed on top of her like that for a long moment as he caught his breath, but tired and satiated for now, he soon pulled away and rolled onto his side on the bed next to her, this time kissing her more gently than he had earlier. After making out for a few more minutes, she finally rested her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back so she could look him in the eye. Her expression was half-serious, half-mirthful as she studied his face.

"So _that_ was different," she said, now tracing his scar on his eye with her fingernail.

Kuai Liang wrinkled his nose and cocked his head. "What do you mean?" he demanded to know.

Her smile fell. "I'm not complaining," she quickly said. "It's just that...you've never jumped my bones like that before."

"It sounds an awful lot like complaining," he coldly replied. "It's the one thing you're very good at."

Anya's eyes suddenly took on a wounded expression. She sat up and crossed her arms insecurely before she grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around her. "Why are you being so hateful and mean today?" she quietly asked, her tone now shaded with irritation. "I just wondered what about me got you so riled up."

"Did it please you?" he irately asked her.

"What?"

" _Did it please you_?" he repeated. "Did _I_ please you?"

Anya cocked her head, clearly bewildered. "Of course you did," she answered. "You always do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"What is the _matter_ with you?" she asked, her eyes now glossy with tears. "Why are you acting this way, Kuai Liang? Would you please just talk to me? Tell me what's bothering you so much."

"What's bothering me?" he scoffed, now bitterly chuckling. "I'm tired of my wife's persistent need to create drama where there is none," he replied before he exhaled in exasperation.

Anya burst into tears. But he didn't want to hear her cry. She could just relax and not question his desire for her, and she could appreciate the fact that he'd acted so spontaneously, but instead she opted to make an issue of it. Just like she'd made an issue this morning about him staying in bed because he was too weak to handle his business, and just like she'd made an issue of bringing Bi-han to the Temple to babysit his brother. He'd tried to let these transgressions against him go, but he was done with her theatrics.

"I'm going to sleep in my office tonight," he declared as he slid off their bed and started to pull on his clothes again.

"But Kuai Liang, I can't sleep without you," she whimpered through heavy tears. "Please don't go. Stay here and hold me. Let me hold you. This doesn't have to be a fight."

Ordinarily, a statement like that would've melted his heart and he'd give in to her request. But tonight, he just felt too damn angry at her. The blazing inferno within him still raged, but it was no longer lust that drove him. Now it was fury at the world and everything in it, for reasons unknown even to him. His anger threatened to burn it all to ash.

Now he looked at his wife again. "I suppose you should've thought about that before you decided to open your big mouth," he hissed at her. "Good night," he said as he got to his feet and stormed out of their bedchamber just as sternly as he'd arrived. He wasn't even moved by the sound of Anya noticeably crying in their bed.

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, I concur.**

 **Obelisk of Light, thanks, I was kind of proud of myself for the "fortune cookie kernels of wisdom" bit LOL I know you have reservations about the dragon, but it just feels like a fun thing to do. As for my interpretation of possessed Kuai Liang, well...I just hope it hits readers in the feels.**

 **Daniel Barga, aw, thanks! I appreciate your enthusiasm. As with all my stories, it's going to get worse before it gets better. ;) I'm having fun depicting life in the Lin Kuei Temple a bit more than I usually do, and for the reasons you cited - I can show a behind-the-scenes look at their lives when they're not going all ninja warrior on people.**

 **Sub-Pion, yeah, I agree, if things went right, that would make for a boring story. So I've got to put my characters through hell once again. *sigh* It's _exhausting_ being evil. :D And my goal with Reiko in this one is to show his penchant for strategy and warfare, so definitely expect a road full of twists and turns. I want to tell people so much what I've got planned, but with this story, if I tell one little piece, it'll spoil the whole shebang. **

**The Titan's Shadow, I've been thinking about Frost a lot, and I think she's definitely the victim of bullying, I agree. That's the thing, though. I kind of have to go overboard with both characters at first so that as their characters grow and change, it'll feel more gratifying to the reader.**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, oh, you know me and my penchant for turning up the heat! I really want to showcase Subby's younger kids more in-depth in this story than I did in the last one, so be prepared to see more of them alongside Livy. I hope to invoke the feels. All the feels!**

 **ROCuevas, hopefully it will be!**

 **iceangelmkx, my friend! I'm glad to see you! *hugs* No apologies necessary, I am just happy that you're back :D I agree - fuck Reiko. But not before he does some really heinous crap. There will be blood, and not just because of blood magik ;)**


	9. The Consequence of Love

**Author's Note: This chapter kind of is jarring and bounces around a lot because I wanted to try to recreate how a dream feels. In other words, it's deliberately written like this. I didn't make a mistake or get sloppy with my writing. Well, maybe I did, I don't know. But I assure you, I made it disjointed on purpose.**

* * *

Blood tainted his dreams.

"I will not allow you to do this," Kuai Liang whimpered in his sleep, oblivious to the fact that he was talking out loud on his couch in his office.

 _Do it_? a voice whispered back. _I've already done it_.

The pathway that cut through the forest was dim and shadowy in the twilight, the darkness made deeper by the bowing tree branches above his head. There was a faint light ahead, but even from afar, he could tell that it was where the trees abruptly ended. The air was still and dank, and somewhere in the distance, he heard an eagle screech loudly. It seemed familiar, but when he tried to remember why, his head ached and his thoughts were hard to hold on to. Something about...an old Temple? It was gone, whatever it was.

Kuai Liang blinked and now saw a man standing in the middle of his path. He had not noticed the man when he first appeared. If he had not known it was impossible, he would have said no one had been there until he actually looked at him. Dressed in polished armor and maroon robes of a fine cut, bearing black diamond tattoos around his intense green eyes, he exuded the aura of a fearless warrior.

 _Once more, Grandmaster, we meet face-to-face_ , Reiko told him, and, just for an instant, his mouth and eyes became openings into endless caverns of flame.

With a startled yell, Kuai Liang hurled an ice ball at him so hard that he stumbled forward and awkwardly ran past the General's rapidly freezing figure. The light beyond him grew larger as he drew closer to it, but he flailed his arms like a bird when he reached the end to keep from falling over the cliff that waited there for him. Somehow, he caught himself - and found himself staring wide-eyed at the craggy rocks below him painted with old blood and littered with tiny human bones. In the distance, snow-capped mountains stood silent.

 _You cannot get away from me that easily_ , Reiko said behind him at his shoulder, practically whispering into his ear, but Kuai Liang refused to look. He couldn't look behind him; he _mustn't_ look behind him.

"What do you want?" he cried, again in his dreams and from his couch in his office.

 _You know what I want, Grandmaster._

"No," he whimpered.

 _I'm going to use you to take Shinnok's amulet._

"No!"

 _And I'm going to use you to destroy Raiden's Champions one by one._

"No!"

 _Starting with your children._

"No!" he wailed both in the dream world and the real one. "I won't let you do it!"

 _I've already done it_.

Kuai Liang now saw the Hydromancer glyphs and runes glow on the walls of Massilia, the sacred pool consecrated by the Elder Gods, rich with the scent of jasmine and lily. The waterfall roared over the rocks, its noise peaceful, its water pure and clean. He held Anya in his strong arms, and his hand stroked her and opened her and woke that hunger in her that belonged to him alone, and the stars smiled down on them. "You are my home, and I am yours," he whispered to her as he entered her and filled her, but suddenly the stars were gone, and the glyphs wept blood into the water as the world around them turned to flame. He screamed as Anya's body turned into a rotten corpse in his arms.

 _I've already done it_.

He was back at the cliff's edge. Breathing hard, he looked up the mountain's side to his left and saw the old Temple where he'd lived as a child nestled in the dense woods high above the rest of the world.

 _Did you really think you could have a normal life, Grandmaster?_ Reiko jeered from his right, and then pushed Kuai Liang over the edge.

He howled in terror as he fell into the jagged Himalayan abyss...and then landed on his feet in a hospital room where a plastic bassinet sat in the corner close to the window. He walked to it, his feet heavy like they were dragging through molasses, and looked down. A tiny face - _his_ face, were he a newborn - looked back at him. A shock of walnut brown hair curled over her forehead and in between her eyes. In disbelief, he twisted it around his finger and closed his eyes in delight at the downy texture.

The nurse's face was drawn into a smile. "Do you know what you're going to name her?" she asked, her voice fading away as Kuai Liang slowly withdrew the bundle from the bassinet and pulled her to his body.

"Her name is Olivia," he muttered, his voice strange to his ears as he cradled her against him and adjusted the pink-striped blankets to see her face better. "I never knew I wanted her as much as I did until now," he murmured as she cooed and sleepily closed her eyes. He began walking again - this time with her nestled tightly in his arms - through the forest and towards the cliff's edge.

 _Love is forbidden to the Lin Kuei,_ Reiko reminded him, ever-present at his shoulder. _Why did you break with centuries of law and tradition, Grandmaster, when you know what the consequence is?_

Now, a coldness settled inside of him when he looked at Olivia, a terrible ice chilling his blood. His daughter would be strong and proud, smart and beautiful, with skin and walnut hair like his, and sapphire eyes shaped like almonds. She was his firstborn, and the only Cryomancer he'd sired. But still, there was no warmth for her, even when she smiled for him and waved a tiny baby fist at him. Love was forbidden in the Lin Kuei, and he knew what the consequence was. He took it with his much larger fingers, and then abruptly jerked her forward and threw her over the edge. He felt nothing when her little body exploded onto the rocks below. Unfeeling tears trickled from his eyes and turned to blood on his cheeks.

"Livy," he whimpered and sobbed in his sleep, thrashing, unable to wake from this nightmare.

 _A man with a family can easily become compromised._

"Kuai Liang," Anya now said with a smile as she took him by the hand and led him to the couch in his office. Before them, a fire roared in the hearth and warmed them, and glowing orange rays crept up the walls, casting shadows around them. "I have something to tell you. It was pretty unexpected."

"Is the baby okay?" he asked. He anxiously rubbed her belly as if that would make any problem go away.

"Look," she beamed as she pulled her free hand from her pocket and revealed the tiny black and white ultrasound picture she'd gotten from her appointment earlier.

"What am I looking at?" he murmured, unable to decipher the jumble of cloudy blobs. He strained to see the picture, but as it always was in dreams, he couldn't discern a pattern.

"There's the heart," she said as she pointed to tiny shapes with her fingernail, "and there's the brain. There's two arms and two legs, and ten fingers and ten toes." Now she pointed to another shape, her face split in two with an infectious grin that made the Grandmaster want to laugh. "And right there, between the legs? There's...a thing." She looked up at him. "It's a boy."

"I have a son?" he gasped, the swell of pride in his heart choking his words in his throat. He pulled her close and kissed her all over her face, not knowing what else to do. "I have a son," he breathed, trying to convince himself this was real.

"There's more," she said, squeezing his hand tightly. Once more, she pointed to the picture with her fingernail. "There's _another_ thing." She met his confused gaze with a serene but amused one. "We're having twin boys, Kuai Liang."

He remembered the way his heart leaped with joy at the word, how the tears unexpectedly sprang to his eyes at the news, how much he loved his wife for giving him that gift. He had _two_ sons now, and wondered what he'd done right to deserve such a treasure.

 _A man like you has made many enemies._

He was walking slowly towards the cliff again, this time cradling Tommy and Jamie in each arm, his blood frozen, his feelings numb. Love was forbidden in the Lin Kuei. He knew what the consequence was.

He balanced each newborn boy on either palm as he extended his arms over the side. A simple twist of his wrists cast each one down, and soon they joined Olivia's shattered remains on the rocks below.

 _And those enemies will use your family to punish you._

Now he was back in the Temple, in his quarters at the end of the day, undressing in his closet, and he heard a loud thump coming from the bathroom where Anya was getting ready for bed.

"Ahn?" he called out, wondering what she'd dropped in there. There was no answer. "Ahn?" he called again, this time more urgently, now walking towards her to investigate.

He found her unconscious on the bathroom floor with a puddle of blood spreading between and beneath her legs. "Anya!" he'd cried when he saw her lying between the toilet and the tub, her joints at odd angles like a bird with broken wings, her color pale, her breaths coming shallow. He didn't remember lunging to her side and scooping her in his arms, shrieking into his wrist communicator for Tomas to come help him because she'd miscarried what they later discovered was an ectopic pregnancy.

"Even if we can salvage some of her reproductive organs, she'll almost certainly never be able to get pregnant again," the doctor's voice echoed through his mind.

 _You knew the consequence..._

"You are the closest I will ever come to magic," Kuai Liang whispered to Anya's swollen belly as she lay sleeping in her hospital bed, deathly ill with what the doctors called preeclampsia.

In spite of all the odds, he mused as he rubbed that beautiful bump, in spite of all the experts telling him he'd have no more children, his wife had somehow defied them all and gave him one more daughter. It was not so much a prayer as a longing of his soul to have just one more baby, but even still, in that moment, he knew her name must be Samantha because the gods had heard his plea.

 _You knew the consequence..._

Kuai Liang began to sing very softly to Sammie in her incubator, a month premature and twisted in unearthly tubing and wires, almost not singing at all, just breathing a whisper of a tune. He sang to let her know he was there, begging her to stay anchored to the earth, to keep from laughing or crying in amazement that he was even sitting there with her in his arms when she was never supposed to be born to begin with. He sang as if his music could keep her alive, as if it could feed her soul, as if it could weave a protective spell around her to survive these days and these weeks. He sang as if he could give her a piece of himself, which he hoped would ring inside of her like a bell, giving her hope whenever she needed him. And as he sang, he promised her every single thing he wished his own father would have promised to him, even just once. He loved her, his littlest girl.

Slowly, he lifted Sammie's body from the strange bassinet and pulled her free of the tubing before he carried her down that forest path to the cliff's edge. She was so small, her body barely longer than his hand, and so helpless right now. It was a miracle she had been conceived and a greater miracle still that she had survived long enough to be born. But as she squeaked out anguished noises - her vocal chords were far too underdeveloped to cry - the ice settled on his heart once again. As if she was nothing but a bag of trash, he casually tossed her into the abyss where she joined her brothers and sister in death.

 _You knew the consequence..._

"Kuai Liang, please let me go," he heard a woman's voice whimpering once Sammie was gone, and he turned his head to the right and saw Anya tightly tied to the tree. Tears streamed down her swollen face, but her words fell on deaf ears.

 _You knew..._

"I will send you to meet your children in the afterlife," he told her, his voice unnerving to his own ears. And then, he kicked a rushing line of _penitentes_ at her bound body. They impaled her in seconds. A particularly large ice shard pierced her skull and pushed her eyeball from its socket. Swiveling madly, unaware it was dead, the beautiful lavender eye was skewered on the point like a kabob. Blood gushed from her mouth.

 _You knew why your Elders forbade you from falling in love, don't you?_ Reiko's haunting voice jeered into his ear behind his shoulder.

"Why?" Kuai Liang whimpered out loud on his couch, tears streaking down his face as his nightmare persisted.

 _Because they knew love is the greatest weapon of all._

At last, Kuai Liang dared to turn around and face the General. "Just kill me and be done with it," he defiantly replied.

Reiko's face erupted into a wicked, wolfish grin. _Kill you?_ he said without saying, speaking through his mind. _I'm not going to kill you, Grandmaster. I'm recruiting you_.

"I won't let you do it!" he cried once again, both in his dream and in his office.

 _I've already done it_.

Finally, he woke to the taste of blood.

* * *

As he knelt in the ancient sigil he etched in the snow in blood, at last feeling the predawn chill snap its sharp teeth at his exposed skin, Reiko slowly looked up at Rain and Havik, who waited expectantly at his side. Above them, ribbons of colorful energy rippled across the starlit Arctika sky, putting on a beautiful light show that dazzled even the stupid Tarkatans they traveled with. It was almost a pity that such a wondrous gift of creation would have to bear witness to what was coming next.

"Well?" Havik urged.

"It is done," Reiko grinned. "Sub-Zero is infected with Blood Magik."

* * *

 **alwaysdoubted, he could and he _will_ turn against everyone ;) And I agree, Frost needs to become Frost again before it's too late. **

**MKDemigodZ-Warrior, dude, you've been reading my work long enough to know I'm not strictly following anything LOL This story is only _loosely_ based on the comics, but I'm definitely telling my own story here. ;) **

**The Titan's Shadow, I agree. There's going to be a lot of trouble in paradise real soon.**

 **Daniel Barga, first of all, I don't ever want you to apologize for not having perfect English. I'm flattered that anyone wants to read my stuff. Of all the stories out there in the world, you read _mine_ , and for that, I thank you. I don't care if your grammar is a little off. As long as you're enjoying what I do, then I'm happy. Secondly, I'm just as excited as you to have Sub-Zero be bad for once. It's always fun writing him as the hero, but I definitely think I'll have a blast writing him as a villain for once. And don't worry, Bi-han is here to stay for this one. I've kind of missed him hanging around ;) **

**ROCuevas, well, eventually, it will be LOL**

 **Obelisk of Light, well, like I told you in PM, I made Takeda act like an ass too before he became full-blown possessed. It was just more subtle because that chapter was from Olivia's point of view and not so obvious. Well, Anya and Raiden _did_ detect something, they just didn't know what. Since the spell wasn't there yet - getting stabbed with a kamidogu was only a rudimentary step - they didn't know what was happening. But if you'll remember, Raiden _did_ ask if Sub-Zero was stabbed with the kamidogu and Xinyi mistakenly told him no, that it was just an ordinary knife. So if he'd been given the right information, he'd have solved the problem right away. I'll go into that more in later chapters.**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, maybe get a couple of crosses while you're getting the holy water LOL**


	10. Darkness Rising

Day was dawning cold and gray, with just a little hint of sunlight peeking over the horizon, the highest the sun would rise this time of year in Arctika. It was unusual for Olivia to voluntarily be awake at this hour, but after her father so coldly and inexplicably rebuked her the day before, she'd lain awake all night wondering exactly what she'd done wrong. She'd disobeyed him, yes, but if she hadn't, the Grandmaster would've bled to death. Shouldn't saving him have trumped his ire for her disobedience? Perhaps, she reasoned throughout the long hours of the night, he wasn't truly angry, but rather, his anger was a mask for something else entirely. Maybe he was scared, she thought. Maybe he was scared just knowing that Olivia wasn't safe anymore with Reiko on the loose. Or maybe he was just humiliated that he didn't just lose a fight to the General, but got his ass royally handed to him. The possibilities tortured her all night long.

Finally, after tossing and turning in her bed a hundred times, Olivia saw the faint glimmer of daybreak cut through the night. With a heavy, frustrated sigh, she kicked off her blankets and crawled out of bed, dreading another day spent on very little sleep. She dressed in her plain black training robes, pulled her hair into a messy half-bun, and carried her precious dragon egg in one arm from her room. Since the Crown Prince had showed her that it was merely dormant, not dead, the tiny creature trapped inside had also weighed heavily on her mind. Jiayi was right; letting the dragon live its life in stasis was cruel, and with nothing better to do at the moment, now was as good a time as any to rectify the problem.

Yawning, Olivia set the fragile egg on the floor of the coat room at the rear of the Temple before she straightened, stretched out her stiff back, and then pulled on her long, fur-trimmed coat. As she knelt down to find her thick snow boots in the mess of boots lined against the wall, a voice behind her suddenly said, "Would you like some company?"

It was almost comical the way she yowled like a cat drenched in water and leaped at least three feet in the air. With heart pounding, she panted and whirled around furiously. There stood Prince Jiayi, his face an expressionless mask. Only his eyes glinted in amusement.

"Are you _stalking_ me?" she snarled at him, breathing hard. Her heart raced a thousand miles a minute.

He calmly raised a dark eyebrow. "Don't be absurd," he replied. "I am always awake by dawn."

She frowned in disbelief. "Good God, why?" she asked as she now knelt on the floor and found her boots. She quickly began pulling them on, lacing them up tightly.

"To practice my _neijia_ and to pray," he answered matter-of-factly. She finished tying her boots and he offered her a hand to lift her up. "It helps to ready my mind for the day ahead," he stated when she was on her feet again. "I never have a day of rest. I have too many responsibilities. Such is the life of a prince, I suppose."

"Uh-huh," she replied, not particularly inclined to feel sorry for him. And her head was still trying to wrap itself around the concept of waking up early on purpose. Logically, she knew such people existed. But for the life of her, she never understood why anyone would _want_ to wake up every day at dawn.

"I have just finished my prayers, Olivia," he continued. "I saw you walking with your egg and assumed you were taking my advice."

"Only because I can't stand the thought of any living creature needlessly suffering," she replied. "If what you say is true and this dragon is alive, then I feel horrible for keeping it in an egg on my desk all this time. But that has nothing to do with you."

Jiayi now cracked a faint smile. "You really don't like me," he deduced.

"It's like I told you yesterday," she replied. "I don't like people who discriminate against me just because they don't understand or agree with what I am. The Cryomancers are all like that."

He raised his eyebrow again. "If what you say is true, then _you_ are prejudiced as well, Olivia," he pointedly told her.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" she demanded to know. "I'm not prejudiced."

"Aren't you?" he challenged. "You made a gross generalization about my people. _Your_ people. You automatically assume that every Cryomancer hates you merely because of your Hydromancer lineage. _That_ is a prejudice." Now he crossed his arms. "But listen well, Olivia. I can assure you that not every Cryomancer feels that way about you. _Most_ Cryomancers don't even have an opinion of you one way or another because you matter little to their lives. We worry about the problems of Outworld, not about the ethnicity of a woman in Earthrealm." He chuffed. "To be perfectly blunt, if I think anything of you, it's that you are conceited."

Olivia's mouth fell open at his declaration. "I am _not_ conceited!" she protested.

Jiayi shrugged. "Perhaps not," he said. "But in every encounter I've had with you thus far, you've been very self-centered." He paused and leaned forward, his eyes still twinkling in amusement. "Not everything is about you, you know."

"I know what I've seen," she retorted.

"Do you really?" he condescendingly asked.

"Yeah, I do," she snapped, tilting her chin up proudly. "My fears are legitimate."

"Your fears are unfounded," he shot back.

"You don't get to tell me that," she argued. "You don't even know me."

They stood there for a long moment, their eyes deadlocked, neither one moving. Finally, though, Jiayi blinked and pointed at the egg on the floor. "Let us continue this discussion outside," he told her.

"I'll go by myself, thank you very much," she haughtily replied.

"Have you ever hatched an ice dragon egg before?" he wanted to know, now smirking.

Olivia swallowed hard, thinking about it. She looked from him to the egg and back again. "Well, no," she admitted.

"Then perhaps you should stop being so stubborn and allow someone who _has_ to show you how," he replied. As soon as he said it, he squeezed past her and scooped it into his arms before marching outside into the cold Arctic morning.

"Hey!" she yelped, running after him. "That's mine!"

He refused to give it back and held it high above her head when she tried to snatch it back. "Ice dragons are ferocious creatures when they're adults," he began to explain as he marched away from the Temple towards the sea. "But they're quite vulnerable when they're hatchlings. Infant dragons have many natural predators."

"In _Outworld_ ," she argued, still jumping and batting at the egg.

"I am certain that Earthrealm is replete with animals that would gladly feast upon a helpless reptile," he replied. "Ergo, we must use our powers to protect it."

Olivia chased after him, quickly growing winded from trekking through the deep drifts. He was much taller than she was and his long legs almost effortlessly glided through the snow. "Slow down," she panted. "I can't go as fast as you."

Jiayi turned and looked at her. "You are a Cryomancer," he said. "You were borne of ice and snow. Neither of those things should slow you down."

"You'd think that," she breathed, "but you'd be wrong." Now she looked back to the Temple, which was easily a half a mile back. "Why can't we just bury this egg in a snow drift closer to my home?" she wondered.

"The first ice dragons were drawn forth from the icy depths of the Bīng yang," the prince explained. "Water is their life blood. The sound of the sea crashing against the shore is the magical song that will wake this little one from his slumber and coax him from his shell." He pointed north towards the Arctic Ocean. "Last night, I busied myself studying maps of Arctika and of Earthrealm. I know the sea is close by. It is the best place to hatch your egg."

Jiayi began walking again towards the water, but now his pace was slower and she could keep up with him. They said nothing as they trudged another mile to the shore, and she gave up trying to steal back her egg. The sea this far north was not blue, she mused as they approached. It was always gray and, at this time of year, pitch black with shadow. The icy water froze into thin sheets as waves broke upon the rocky beach. It was high tide, Olivia knew.

"There," the prince said as he pointed to a shallow cave carved from a nearby outcropping of black basalt. "That will do nicely."

"Why is that?" she wondered as they trekked across the black sand and around boulders to get to the cave.

"It will stay cold enough to rouse the dragon inside," he explained, "but it will also shelter him from the other elements so that he has a fighting chance to live."

"It's not going to keep it safe from predators, though," she skeptically scoffed. "Sea lions like to rest here from time to time. And there are birds-"

"That is where _we_ come in," he smirked as he looked back over his shoulder at her. He took her hand to help her climb over a particularly large and jagged rock, and after that, the path to the cave was easy. "In nature, ice dragons are protected from predators by their mother. But in her absence, we must improvise."

"How?" she asked.

"Watch," he said as he nestled the egg in the sand on the cave floor. He then flexed his fingers as his cryogenic power surged through them only a moment before a pulsating energy wave flowed from them. In seconds, a small dome of pristine, clear ice stretched and grew several feet around the egg forming what looked like-

"An igloo?" she asked. "I could've done _that_ , Your Highness."

"You'll have to check the egg every day," he told her. "If the dragon hatches, it'll be trapped in there without food."

Olivia now knelt in the gravel before it. "What do they eat?" she wondered as she gently touched the icy shell.

"Meat," Jiayi told her. "Any kind will do, but the _are_ partial to fish. When it's big enough, it'll start hunting for whales in the ocean."

"I wonder what this little guy will look like," she murmured, more to herself than anything.

"He will grow big," the prince said, but now he thoughtfully touched the ice as well. "But this egg _was_ on the small side. If I had to wager a guess, Olivia, he's the runt of the litter. That is probably why Tsai Bing assumed he was dead. So when he hatches, he'll be much smaller than most others of his kind."

Olivia softly chuffed at that. "Just like my sister," she mused.

Jiayi's eyes grew sad at the mention of her sibling. "You're the eldest child?" he asked her, and she nodded.

"Yes," she said.

"It is trying, sometimes, being the eldest."

"I suppose," she shrugged. "It was worse when we were younger. Now, they're not nearly as annoying." She paused and thought about it. "Well, _Sam_ is not nearly as annoying. My brothers still drive me crazy," she amended. "They still act like little children half the time."

He nodded. "Xinyi lives to exasperate me, I think. He is unruly and rebellious."

She frowned. "Is it because your parents are dead?"

"Possibly," he sighed. "Our mother died giving birth to him and our father died when he was still an infant."

"He told me," she said gently.

Jiayi wistfully smiled. "Did he also tell you that Reiko is the one who killed our father?"

Olivia's heart lurched. "No, he didn't," she said. "How?"

The prince swallowed hard and looked away. "I remember that day well," he said. "I was just old enough to fight in battle alongside him and the other Lords of Mòhé. But I was so young. So inexperienced." He scoffed and winced in pain before he looked back at her again. "When Xing betrayed the Cryomancers, Shao Kahn sent Reiko and his army to destroy us. We held them to a stalemate for three days until my father, King Guiren, fought Reiko himself to end it. He fought valiantly, but in the end, Reiko defeated him and took his soul. I watched the whole thing."

"Oh, my God," Olivia breathed, remembering how Reiko had threatened to do the same thing to _her_ father, and very nearly succeeded. "I'm so sorry."

"I remember thinking how in awe I was of Reiko's power," he said. "The Lords of Mòhé have always been powerful men, but his ferociousness on the battlefield, his gift for strategy, his magical skill...his talents are sincerely admirable."

"I don't know that I'd call the man who killed my father admirable," she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Reiko has very nearly killed _my_ father on more than one occasion, Your Highness, and neither time did I stop to marvel at his cunning."

"Even if he is evil, a good general's tactics should be studied," he argued. "Furthermore, as a prince and the next king of Mòhé, I don't have the luxury of seeing the world in such black and white terms as good versus evil." He sadly scoffed. "When _you_ become the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei as your father has deigned, you'll soon discover that politics is an unsavory business. You will find that you have to align yourselves with ideas and people you despise. You will, in essence, have to lay down with the Devil."

She cocked her head and frowned, recoiling a bit. "What are you trying to say?" she asked in puzzlement. This sounded suspiciously like a confession.

"My brother…" he trailed off and then swallowed hard. "Xinyi has not learned that he cannot trust everyone he meets. Everyone has an agenda. _Everyone_. I would protect him from them all, just as I know you would protect _your_ siblings from the fiends of the world. But he is naive. He willfully puts himself in harm's way without even recognizing he is doing it."

"He doesn't seem terribly naive," she replied.

"Then _you_ are naive as well," he answered. He sighed again, the loudest one yet. "The truth is, and I'm sure you know this as well, sometimes siblings have nothing in common but blood...Sometimes you stay awake at night, thinking things that make you feel like a heartless monster, wishing for something different and then feeling sick with guilt because you know what the cost would be...There's a difference between having no siblings and having a broken one."

"Why do you think Xinyi is broken?" she demanded to know, and now he looked her squarely in the eyes, his blue eyes as cold as Arctic ice once more.

"Because he automatically trusts people he has no reason to trust," he replied. "And he needs to be corrected."

"He doesn't need to be anything," she hissed, the anger rising in her heart as she got to her feet. "He can trust me. I'm not the one trying to sabotage his life. You're just bitter and jaded, and a terrible brother." She furiously shook her head. "I'm going back to the Temple."

"Stay away from Xinyi," he replied as she started to leave. "He is not the man for you."

"I don't take orders from you. I'm not one of your subjects. So I'll associate with whomever I please," she retorted and then stormed off.

By the time she had returned home, the Temple was starting to come alive with activity. Incense heavily perfumed the air where the Masters and some of the older students began their morning with meditation. The scent mingled with the aromas of frying bacon, cinnamon rolls, and other tasty breakfast fare. Ordinarily, Olivia would have been drooling in anticipation - cinnamon roll day was her favorite - but her fury with Jiayi quelled her hunger pains. She would have to report her discussion with the prince to her father; it was awfully suspicious, she mused, how highly he spoke of Reiko while simultaneously condemning his own brother. Perhaps it was no coincidence at all that Jiayi had been the one to arrest the General after his failed attack on Mòhé…

"Olivia," Anya called to her as she stepped from the quarters she shared with the Grandmaster. "Come here," she beckoned. Her eyes were dark and sunken as if she hadn't slept at all.

"What's up, Mom?" she answered as she obeyed the nurse.

"Have you seen your father at all this morning?"

She shook her head no. "I haven't seen him since yesterday when he yelled at me," she replied. "He wasn't with you?" she now asked, puzzled.

"No," she sighed. "He was...upset with me last night. He decided to sleep in his office. But I just looked there, and he was gone."

Olivia raised her eyebrow at that. That was odd of him, she thought. Even when her parents argued, it seldom was bad enough for them to retreat to separate corners. They had made a pact to never go to sleep angry, she knew. It must've been a terrible argument for him to sleep in his office, away from Anya.

"Well, maybe he just needed some space after everything that happened with Reiko," she offered hopefully, shrugging lightly. "He seemed really on edge after he woke up yesterday."

"You're probably right," Anya agreed, now hugging her and planting a kiss on her temple. "Why don't you go down to breakfast and get something to eat?"

"Aren't you coming too?" she asked.

Her mother shook her head no. "I'm not very hungry. I'm just going to go to the infirmary and start working. If you see your dad, tell him I want to talk to him."

"Okay, Mom. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will, sweetheart," she said before gently pushing Olivia away.

* * *

"Why are we not attacking the Lin Kuei directly?" Rain demanded to know as Reiko stood atop an icy ridge overlooking a vast expanse of snow and the Temple beyond. Scattered throughout the snow at varying intervals around them were the bodies of a patrol of Lin Kuei warriors that the General himself had killed so they couldn't alert the rest of them to his army's presence. Blood stained the snow red in stark contrast to the pristine white. Their souls belonged to him now.

"Because, old friend, Himavat chose this spot well when he made his Temple here," Reiko answered him, watching it through a brass telescope. "There is an independent water source running beneath it and only one possible approach. They'll see us and stop us long before we make it to the gate. Furthermore, they have a portal linked to the rest of the Earthrealm Champions, and we don't want them to alert Raiden's ilk to our presence just yet." He looked at Rain. "Be patient, Rain," he told him. "I have a man on the inside. He'll open the doors for us."

"How can you be certain Sub-Zero will do that?" he asked. "I have touched him before, in combat. I know how dear this place is to him. Your blood magik infects him, yes, but is it enough to overcome his love for his home and family?"

"Oh, yes," he replied with a smile. "The man you once knew is my prisoner now - his soul is caged up tightly in a little box inside his heart. I have fashioned him into a golem to serve me obediently and without question. Until I say otherwise, he will be a deadly ally fighting his own people on behalf of _my_ cause, and I am disinclined to set him free anytime soon." Reiko now looked back to the Temple through his telescope. "Sub-Zero will serve me until his dying breath."

* * *

There was no feeling in his heart nor memories in his mind as Sub-Zero quietly passed through the Temple, avoiding all people except those guarding the perimeter. Those men and women he'd commanded to stand down, much to their surprise. In all their years serving the Lin Kuei, he'd never once given such an order. It was strange that now, when word had gotten around that Reiko was alive and gunning for Olivia - or so they assumed - he'd order them to abandon their posts. When one of the Elites, a man the Cryomancer dully recognized as Justin, dared to question him about it, he'd punched him for his insubordination and knocked a single tooth from his mouth.

 _The guards are standing down and the doors are open_ , he silently reported, to who, he knew not. In response, he felt a deep-seated urge to rip the portal room down brick by brick.

"Nobody can escape," he muttered to himself, quite unaware he'd said anything. "They all must die."

"Grandmaster," the cyber-ninja called Shen greeted as he entered the portal room minutes later. Shen had been manning the controls in here, and when he saw the Cryomancer approach, he got to his feet and pressed his fist to his chest. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Stand down," he commanded, his voice more robotic than his automated underling.

The Master recoiled, startled. "Stand down?" he repeated. "I do not understand-"

"There is nothing for you to understand," he replied, his voice remaining even and cold. "I gave you an order."

"What if someone tries to come through the portal?" the other asked.

Any other person would have grown impatient by this point. But Sub-Zero calmly and silently summoned air to his fist, yanked out the moisture, and shoved it at Shen with no real effort. Immediately, a giant shard of ice exploded into existence and impaled the cyber-ninja through the middle, pinning him like a bug to the wall behind the control panel. He gurgled mechanically, his gloved hands weakly wrapping around the ice as if he meant to yank it out. But in seconds, his fingers slipped off the shard and his hands fell to his sides while his helmet slumped with a pathetic exhalation. He was dead.

When Shen was taken care of, Sub-Zero dispassionately slipped by his body dangling from the wall and sat in the chair before the multiple computer screens. On the main one, there was a glowing replica of the portal ring, and at the bottom, a blinking cursor waited for him to input a command. In a dreamlike fog, he quickly typed in his desired command followed by the appropriate codes that only he knew. The words, when they appeared on the screen a moment later, glared at him in bold red font, blaring their alarm:

 **EXECUTE SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE**

* * *

"What's troubling you, Lady Olivia?" Xinyi asked kindly as he caught up to her in the hallway. "You seem quite distressed. So much so that you've been avoiding me all morning." He now caught her by the arm and maneuvered her around to look at him.

With a heavy sigh, she met his expectant gaze. "Your brother...he keeps telling me to stay away from you. So I began to wonder if he was right."

"He is _not_ right," he said earnestly. "He means well, but I cannot live the way he wants me to. Therefore, _I_ will decide who I will socialize with and who I can't." He wrapped his hands gently around her biceps. "Don't believe a word he says because he's jaded and misguided, and he listens entirely too much to Tsai Bing. I trust you, Lady Olivia. I know I just met you, but I trust you."

"Thank you," she sadly smiled, casting her eyes down at her feet.

Now he curled a finger under her chin and forced her to meet his gaze again. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"I...I _want_ to," she stammered, unsure of how she felt. Xinyi seemed caring and compassionate, but she _had_ just met him and, while she liked him quite a lot, she wasn't quite ready to call any of her feelings trust. "I-"

She started to say as much, but he promptly interrupted her statement by pulling her to him and pressing her lips to his. She tensed in surprise for only a moment, but after a long second that lasted an eternity, she relaxed and let the warmth course through her as he softly suckled on her bottom lip. At some point - she couldn't precisely name when - his hands drifted to her hair and buried themselves in her tresses, pulling her even closer. Her body tingled in delight and began to ache in need.

When at last he let her pull away, it took every shred of strength in her to uncross her eyes beneath her eyelids. "What spurred _that_ on?" she wondered.

He smiled and began to answer when suddenly, an explosion rocked the Temple and something fiery blew a huge hole through the nearby wall. Immediately, wood splintered and went up in flame like a candle, and the people who'd been walking by at the moment of impact now lay in parts on the floor. Those who weren't dead were moaning or screaming their pain. Olivia was on the floor with Xinyi as well because he'd yanked her down and sheltered his body with hers, and as more thundering explosions rocked the Temple, she rolled onto her back and saw him grimacing.

"Oh, God, are you okay?" she breathed, knowing somehow that this was Reiko's doing. She started coughing as roiling clouds of smoke began to fill up the hallway and burned her throat and her eyes.

"I'm alive," he strained to say as she sat up at pulled him up with her. A mess of wood shards jutted from his back like porcupine quills.

"We need to get you to the infirmary to my mother," she said, helping him to his feet as the ground rumbled continuously.

"No," he panted. "She'll have her hands full with more serious problems." He allowed her to drape his arm around her shoulders. "I need to find Jiayi. I haven't seen him all morning."

She hadn't either, now that she thought about it. Not since they'd taken the dragon egg to the cave and bickered about Xinyi. It was too big of a coincidence, she quickly decided. He was there when Reiko first attacked Mòhé, and he was there when Reiko broke free and sent Mòhé spiraling into chaos. And now he was here when Arctika was under attack for the first time in its history. He _had_ to be the one who'd betrayed the Cryomancers.

As she hobbled with Xinyi towards the Great Hall where she knew everyone would gather for further instruction, she saw another one of the Elites, a friend of hers named Justin, running in that direction with a cloth pressed against his mouth. "Olivia!" he called, though his voice was muffled. He trotted towards her.

"What the hell is going on?" she yelped, though she doubted he had any answers for her.

"Your father," he panted around a mouth full of blood. His hand slid his cloth away just enough for her to see a missing tooth and a split lip. "He told the guards on the wall to stand down."

She recoiled. "What the hell did he do _that_ for?" she demanded to know. In her entire life, she'd never seen him tell the guards to stand down.

"I don't know," he shook his head. "But when I asked him, he knocked my tooth out for my trouble."

"He _hit_ you?" she repeated, her eyes growing large like saucers. That didn't sound like something he'd do, but when Justin nodded that she'd heard correctly, she asked, "Where is he now?"

He shrugged. "He went that way," he pointed down the hall from the direction he'd come. The only thing of importance that way, Olivia knew, was the portal room.

She nodded her understanding and then motioned for him to take her spot holding up Xinyi. "I'll go try to find him and get to the bottom of this," she told him and then looked at the prince. "Justin will take you to get help," she told him.

"I will go with you," he protested, trying hard to pull away from Justin's grip.

"No," she told him. "You're hurt."

"But your father is not acting like himself right now," he argued.

"I'll deal with my dad," she replied. " _You_ find your brother. I've got some questions for him."

* * *

Anya was in the infirmary at her desk, weeping occasionally over her fight with Kuai Liang the previous night, wondering why he was so angry right now, when the first explosions began. Around her, the walls began to shake and groan, and distant screams touched her ears. Within seconds, smoke tickled her nostrils, stinging her eyes and forcing her to cough. Immediately, she jumped to her feet to see what in the hell was going on.

And then, there was another explosion. In the back of Anya's mind, she mused how strangely quiet everything became just in that moment. Everything. All of existence, covered in a thick, still blanket of complete silence. The people screaming tires and the loud booms just stopped. And then it happened: the white flash. It was blinding, taking away all definition of the infirmary around her, leaving nothing visible but the awful purity of the white. She flinched. That was all she really had time to do. Then came the deafening roar. It was a guttural thunderous growl, like some great evil had just been released into the world. After that, the ceiling and walls collapsed upon her. But the world had already gone dark.

* * *

The portal room trembled when Olivia stumbled into it, and dust and the occasional chunk of ceiling fell onto the ground every time the Temple violently swayed in time to the explosions. The lights in here pulsated red rather than their usual soft white, and the ring itself flashed intermittent alarms. But what immediately drew her attention was the body dangling from the wall behind the computer - the cyber-ninja Shen was dead, having been impaled on a stalactite of ice.

"Warning," an automated male voice said overhead, "the portal will self-destruct in five minutes."

"Oh, my God," she breathed, now running around the control station, squeezing past Shen's body to reach the computers. This _was_ her father's doing. Only he had the necessary access codes to engage the self-destruct sequence. Desperately, she input commands into the computer, but this was a losing proposition. Just as the Grandmaster was the only one who could activate the self-destruct sequence, so too was he the only one who could deactivate it. Still, she tried, and when that didn't work, she tried to establish a distress call to Ft. Albany.

"Arctika to Albany, over?" she called into the speaker, hoping someone in the States was listening. "Arctika to Albany, over?" she repeated, and several more times after that.

"You're going to find it hard to call them with a severed line," a new voice spoke. Olivia looked up and saw her father step from the shadows, holding up a piece of the fiber-optic cable used to communicate with Ft. Albany.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing?" she demanded to know, jumping to her feet. There was something wrong with him, she immediately saw. His eyes were like onyx chips in spite of their blueness, and completely blank. She'd seen that expressionless look before, just once. Takeda had looked the same way right before he attacked her and tried to kill her in the Red Desert. She swallowed hard. "Reiko _did_ stab you with the kamidogu," she now deduced. "You're infected. With blood magik."

He responded with a jet of ice aimed right at her face.

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, I wonder that as well ;)**

 **alwaysdoubted, Subby is going to get much worse before he gets better!**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, that is a damn good question! ;)**

 **Daniel Barga, that's what I was trying to express with those scenes. I wanted it to be heartbreaking when you saw how much he loved his kids only to discard them like they meant nothing. It was also a reference to what Smoke and Cyrax did to the Lin Kuei babies years prior when they were automated. I have a feeling you're going to have a love/hate relationship with this new Sub-Zero LOL**

 **Phant0mZ0ne, wow, thanks! That's a lot of reading. To answer your question about Jax's redemption, the thing is that I meant to show that more in depth in my little collection of one-shots in _Aftermath_. But I kind of lost interest in that project after I was stricken with writer's block, so I glossed Jax's part over in _Ascension_. But in my mind, it was just like they depicted in MKX - Raiden saved both him, Scorpion, and Noob (rather than Sub-Zero, like it was in the game). **


	11. The Destruction of the Lin Kuei Temple

When the first volleys struck the Temple on the only side where a full-out assault was viable, chaos ensued as people ran around in terror, uncertain as to what was happening. But Tomas, who'd tried numerous times to contact Kuai Liang on his wrist comm only to fail, wasted no time in charging to the wall to lead Elites and Masters both. The teenage students were already leading the smaller children to the catacombs deep under the Temple to hide, and many servants joined them. But on the wall, the cyber-ninja arranged every warrior he had that hadn't been killed by a fireball because this is where the enemy would attack.

After the fiery volleys had started, their first warning that something worse was coming had started as a low trembling. Not the simple vibrations of marching or running footsteps, but a tensing and flexing of the crust like the thing itself was roiling below them deep in the bowels of the earth. In the dim morning light, the Lin Kuei who'd scrabbled to the walls as the volleys pounded the Temple now swayed in time with the strange palpitations. Then came the sound: a terrible noise Tomas had heard many times before, yells and screams, and the fierce battle cries of men and monster broke out.

" _Tarkatans_!"

The shriek came from the ledge immediately above Tomas. He had sent Cyrax up to that level when the attack first began to lead the warriors up there while he and Bi-han led the ones down here. In less than a second, he saw the enemy as well. Tarkatans spilled over the snowy brink less than a mile away, running at break-neck speed towards the Temple.

For a long moment, nobody moved. Bi-han was the first to react. "Find the Grandmaster!" he barked at Kaito, a Japanese Elite, as he grabbed the young man by his tunic and shoved him towards the door.

"He's not answering his comm device," Tomas reported.

"He might've been caught in one of the blasts," the Cryomancer replied, and it was apparent he didn't recognize his own insensitivity at the statement. The cyber-ninja agreed with him, but couldn't bear to imagine such a thing.

Further conversation became impossible, however, washed away beneath a torrent of orders from both men, and equally loud acknowledgements from the other Lin Kuei warriors. Edenian arrows as thick as rain came whistling onto each level's catwalk, and thudded and glanced off the wood and stones. Some found a mark. Then the Tarkatans screamed again, waving their armblades while the Edenians continued firing their arrows at anyone they could get a clean shot at. The Lin Kuei warriors, particularly the Elites who'd yet to see battle, looked out in stunned amazement, frozen with fear.

Brazen trumpets sounded from somewhere beyond the brink. The brutish monsters surged forward, some against the wall, others where the Temple huddled against the jagged butte behind it. There the biggest Tarkatans were mustered and rapidly scaling the rocky stone before reaching the gates and fighting to break them in.

Tomas, of course, reached deep into his heart to summon the powers of the Enenra sleeping inside of him, and in seconds, he'd summoned a vast cloud of smoke that he willed into a wall to cloak the Lin Kuei forces. It wouldn't fool the enemy for long, but it should at least buy his warriors an opening salvo or two. A good thing, that, since moments were all he had. The haze grew dark, thickened by an array of half-obscured shapes, and the Tarkatans were upon them, scaling the walls as easily as insects.

They paused, thrown for only an instant by the hellish black smoke, and in that instant, the Lin Kuei attacked. He heard the screams of frightened Elites and the crash of bony armblades on metal weapons. Bi-han's kori sword raked across the face of a mailed Tarkatan, and the cyber-ninja plunged through the barbarians like a whirlwind, cutting down foes right and left. Soon, Smoke hammered at a particularly big Tarkatan who wore a mismatched set of armor, dancing around each other as they traded blow for blow. Quickly frustrated by his inability to get the upper hand on this monster, the Enenra threw up his hand and his kunai spear plunged into his opponent's throat, sprouting from it like a grotesque metal flower. When the Tarkatan opened his mouth to scream in pain, only blood came out. By the time he fell, Smoke was fighting someone else.

After that, things ran together. The morning was full of shouts and screams and heavy with the scent of blood and smoke, and the world had turned to chaos. Bony armblades hissed past Smoke's ear and clattered off walls and pillars. He saw Bi-han in the melee, now fighting with a kori sword in each hand. The cyber-ninja himself stayed in the thick of the fight, sliding from opponent to opponent and darting invisible in and out of the shadows to destroy the passing Tarkatans. Sage, one of the Elites, was cut down from behind while she sliced at a monster in front of her, and later, Tomas stumbled over Graham's body. The handsome face had been smashed in with a powerful armblade, but the cyber-ninja recognized the green tunic and the pinky ring on his finger that once belonged to his long-dead mother.

After minutes that lasted eons, he finally looked up and around. Here inside the Temple, the enemy were all vanquished or vanished, their bodies mingling in heaps with those of the Lin Kuei. Somehow, in spite of their heavy losses, they had won the battle when he wasn't looking. In the distance, however, still running across the Arctic plains like a mad, neverending sea, were more Tarkatans. More than enough to finish the rest of the Lin Kuei off.

This was Reiko's doing, Tomas surmised, because what other monster with a grudge against the Lin Kuei was running loose in the world? As he slumped wearily against a pillar, he vaguely admired how perfectly the Outworld General had attacked them. His strategy had been absolutely perfect. What was worse, he undoubtedly knew it was perfect.

 _Where in the hell is Kuai Liang_? he thought, but only for a moment. Then he was moving and shouting orders again.

"Retreat to the catacombs!" he yelled at his people, and then tapped his wrist communicator and repeated it to everyone, no matter where they were in the Temple. As he bolted towards the catacombs with Bi-han and the other surviving warriors in tow, his fingers flew over another set of buttons. In a brief second, the connection was established. "Attention, Ft. Albany. Arctika is under attack. I repeat, Arctika is under attack…"

* * *

It happened so fast that Olivia scarcely realized she was already moving when the Grandmaster aimed the ice jet at her and nearly froze her where she stood. She yelped a little as she dropped to her knees and scrambled below the desk, her heart pounding wildly in her chest when the blue stream of cryogenic power barely sailed over her head and hit the wall. She was acutely aware of the immediate crackling of ice spreading across the surface behind her, and felt the chill of it even a foot away.

"Dad, stop!" she screamed, even though she knew it was an exercise in futility. He belonged to Reiko right now, and no amount of talking was going to change that. "This isn't who you are!"

She barely had a second to move before she saw, underneath the crack between the floor and the desk, his feet stomp around to pull her out. Using her own powers, she quickly froze the bottom panel and then booted a hole through it. Just as he threw an ice ball at her hiding spot, she dove through to the other side, narrowly escaping his attack yet again.

"Dad, it's _me_!" she cried as more explosions rocked the Temple and debris sifted from the ceiling onto the desk. "Your little Livy! Don't do this!"

Her supplications fell on deaf ears, and he stepped around the computer panels to attack her once more. The rage that marred his face twisted his features to match his actions. His body shook with such anger that his aim was no longer true, and he threw his ice ball as hard as he could physically force himself to. This time, however, he found her gone. Shouting furiously, he picked up the desk chair and hurled it into the wall on the other side of the room. Drywall and plaster cracked around a new hole. But Olivia saw none of that.

 _Fantastic_ , she inwardly scoffed as she dove through the floor, teleporting through the sheets of pulsating white ice. _I can't begin to fight him without hurting him, but he's absolutely determined to kill me._ What was worse, she reasoned, was that he was infinitely more skilled at combat than she was. So how could she defeat the Grandmaster - a tremendous challenge for her even just in training - without hurting him? Fighting him like this would be like trying to tranquilize a grizzly bear with her bare hands.

The way she saw it, there was only one thing she _could_ do.

Olivia emerged from the icy tomb behind him and leaped at his middle. As predicted, her father fell face-first onto the floor, and she fell with him. But she wasted no time scrambling onto his back and trying to thread her arms beneath his armpits to pin his arms behind his head. She succeeded for all of a second, and was about to slip a single, ice-charged hand to his shoulder where it married his neck in order to stun him. But realizing what she meant to do, he quickly turned the tables on her. With a strained grunt, he reached over his shoulders to grip her robes before he hefted her over him and slammed her hard into the ground.

Olivia lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling as she wheezed to catch her breath, involuntary tears leaking from her eyes as she frantically clawed at her chest and flopped onto her stomach. But before she had the chance to recover, he kipped up onto his feet and promptly kicked her beneath her armpit. She gasped and struggled to breathe as sharp pain drilled into her side. The older Cryomancer continued to kick her in the ribs, refusing to stop even when she screamed a pathetic little shriek and choked on air, crying hysterically in both fear and pain. Finally, her father stomped her back before he took a step back to catch his own breath.

Satisfied that he'd neutralized the threat, Kuai Liang started to walk towards the portal, but Olivia, ever tenacious, refused to let him go. Though her face contorted in pain, she promptly pushed herself onto her hands and lunged at his ankles. He toppled to the floor with a grunt. Then he growled deeply in his throat as he scowled over his shoulder at her, pushed himself to all fours, and mule-kicked her in the face. Stars exploded through her vision and she tasted copper in her mouth as she wilted. Thick ropes of blood mingled with drool spilled over her split lip.

Now the Grandmaster, having jumped to his feet already, thrust his hand into her hair, her tangled white tresses long since unraveled from the messy bun she'd pinned them in earlier. He paid no mind to her squeals as he mercilessly hauled her to her feet by her hair, and then kneed her hard in the side of her thigh just below her hip. A terribly loud and painful crunch briefly overshadowed the chaotic noise and distant screaming coming from the rest of the Temple. Olivia's face contorted in agony before she shrieked her pain and collapsed onto the floor like a rag doll. On the ground, she curled into the fetal position, bawling as she weakly pawed at her leg, which was now bent at an acute concave angle at the knee, the toes on her foot pointing directly at her other one, the whole thing slumped on its side in an unnatural way. Just above her knee, her femur jutted through her skin and pants, splintered at the edge.

"Daddy," she cried through her tears as blood quickly soaked her pant leg and began to pool around her. She covered her face with her hands, truly scared. "Please stop this."

The Grandmaster said nothing, only sneered. A large kori sword sprang from his palms and he stood over her, poised to end her. Olivia couldn't bear to look at him, the father she loved and trusted so implicitly, as he prepared to kill her, and yet, she couldn't force herself to look away either. Laying on the ground, hopelessly bruised and battered, her broken leg shrieking in agony from her hip to her toes, Olivia met Sub-Zero's cold, blank gaze and inwardly prayed to whomever was listening that he at least finish her off quickly. That was the only mercy he could show her right now. She inhaled deeply, waiting for him to move.

And then: "Self-destruct in 60 seconds. 59...58...57…"

Almost as if the announcement startled him, the Grandmaster lifted his unfeeling eyes and glanced around in bewilderment. Red warning lights continued to blare in time to the countdown. As if he realized his time was too short to fight with her, he abandoned her and darted around the control panel. She couldn't see what he was doing, but Olivia heard the steady clacking of keys as his fingers effortlessly flew over them and typed a command into the system. Within moments, a portal formed inside the metal ring and he bolted through it without giving his gravely wounded daughter so much as a second thought.

When the portal winked out of existence and left only the blaring red warning lights in its wake, Olivia let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief that quickly collapsed into hysterical tears. Even though she hadn't died yet, it didn't matter. When the portal self-destructed in a few short moments, she'd die anyway. Goddammit, she cried in self-pity, if her father was _that_ determined to kill her, he could at least kill her himself and spare her from the torture of time to think about it.

"Help me!" she wailed, though she knew no one could hear her over the explosions and the shouting. "Oh, God, please help me." Her voice broke into a pathetic little whimper by that point, and soon she began to sob.

"20...19...18...17…"

Through her hysterics, she vaguely wondered how much it would hurt being blown up. But she wouldn't get the answer to that question that day. A new voice rang out, "I'm here, Olivia! I've got you!"

Two spindly but strong arms threaded themselves beneath the young Cryomancer's armpits and heaved her towards the door. The jarring motion on her broken leg set it into a new, nauseating wave of agony, and Olivia screamed with each inch she moved. Millimeters crawled by like miles, even though in truth, she was sliding quite fast away from the portal. And she still didn't even see her rescuer. Her tears were too hot and blinding to see much of anything.

"9...8...7...6…"

They were just outside the portal room now, and her savior's face now briefly came into focus: Miyuki. The Cryomancer had soot smeared across her cheeks and forehead, but otherwise looked fine.

"Duck your head, Olivia!" she managed to cry out just as the countdown reached one and she instinctively threw up her hands to protect herself.

A shield of ice sprang from nothingness at the exact moment the portal exploded, but she never stopped pushing her cryogenic power towards the blast. Arctic blue met burning orange, and Miyuki howled in determination as the force shoved her back ever so slightly. Debris clanged loudly off the ice shield, and water from where the fire melted it dribbled onto the floor. On either side of them, flames licked their clothes but couldn't quite touch them. Seconds became hours, but eventually, the burning chaos stopped and Miyuki dropped the kori shield onto the scorched ground. Weakened by the heat, it immediately shattered, and pieces of ice spun and scattered in all directions.

"Olivia," she breathed in concern as she dropped to her knees beside her and frantically examined the damage to her leg. "Oh, God," she muttered.

The Elite wanted to fight with her aunt and tell her to leave her alone, but her voice came out in choked sobs instead of angry insults. "It hurts," she whimpered. Deep down, she imagined she wasn't talking about the broken bone.

"I know," she sympathetically replied as she smoothed the young Cryomancer's hair away from her face. "I broke my leg once too."

"My father…" she trailed off before she began to bawl like a child again.

"Just breathe, Olivia," Miyuki calmly told her as she yanked her belt from her jeans and carefully wrapped it around the Elite's leg above the break. "I'm going to get you to your mother. Just breathe."

"I don't want to move," she wept. "It hurts too much."

"Unfortunately, you don't get a choice in the matter," her aunt replied before she gripped her shoulder and stunned her unconscious.

* * *

Inside the catacombs, shadows moved and lurched in the overwhelming darkness, though flickering candlelight touched the stone floor underfoot and brushed against a long procession of stabilizing pillars carved into the black rock that marched ahead, two by two, far beyond sight. Between the pillars, the effigies of the dead, which had been carved by Himavat long before the Lin Kuei took up residence here, sat on stone thrones against the walls, their backs against the sepulchers that contained their mortal remains.

Long ago, Kuai Liang had somewhat re-purposed the catacombs as a shelter should the Temple ever befall a natural disaster or come under attack. He had not disturbed the bodies of the dead, but he _had_ ordered Cyrax to install thick, military-grade blast doors over a half-foot thick at the start of the tunnels as well as a computer station with security monitors connected to discreet security cameras mounted around the Temple. There were several cots stored here as well as emergency supplies including military food rations and cases of bottled water, compliments of General Blade.

Once inside, Tomas made a beeline for the computer station and flipped on the distress beacon so Sonya could find them before he input the codes to shut the blast doors. He wasn't quite sure how long the blast doors would delay Reiko, who, as far as he could tell, still only used primitive technology in battle. But with any luck, they would keep the Tarkatans out until Sonya arrived with backup roughly three hours later. And _they_ would bring guns. _Big_ guns. At the thought, Tomas suddenly realized how much he missed Alex.

The older children as well as the Elites had already erected numerous cots and now, the wounded warriors were laying on them, moaning in pain. Interspersed between them, the younger children were crying in fear on their spots on the floor, not quite understanding what was happening. Cyrax was busy doing a headcount while the other Masters and the uninjured Elites tried to tend to their comrades. Samantha, along with Tomas' children Danika and Connor, were the only Hydromancer healers present at the moment - Anya had not come down with the others when he'd ordered the retreat - and the three teenagers were hard at work trying to heal who they could. Unfortunately, they did not have the nurse's knowledge or strength yet, so at best, their help was minimal.

"Who did this, _Táta_?" Morgan asked him as she pressed a thick, gauzy pad against a gash cutting through her forehead. She tiredly slumped against the cavern wall to the ground. "Who's attacking us?"

"I have a sinking suspicion that Reiko is behind it," he muttered before he turned back to the computers.

"He is," Kailyn now chimed in as she waded through the warriors and promptly wrapped her arms around him. Tomas vaguely caught sight of several deep cuts up and down her arms, marking her in thin stripes like a tiger. "While I was fighting a Tarkatan, I touched him and saw that Reiko leads them."

"I suspected as much, _manželka_ ," he tiredly sighed, resting his head on her shoulder, burying his face in her golden curls.

"There's more, my love," she now whispered, and it was then that he realized she was trembling.

Frowning, Tomas pulled away from her. "What is it, Kailyn?" he asked.

Her eyes filled with tears. "Rain is back," she declared. "Elder Gods help me, Rain is back. And he's serving Reiko."

The Enenra looked at her in shock, but before he could say anything, Tommy had pushed his way through his comrades and said, "Where are my parents?"

Tomas looked at his nephew. "Not now, Tommy."

The teenager scowled. "What do you mean, not now? My father is the Grandmaster and my mom is the only nurse in the Temple. We kind of _need_ them here, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Olivia's missing too," Jamie added as he joined his twin's side.

"Many people are missing," Bi-han now coldly told them both. "We must think of protecting those who made it down here. There is nothing we can do to save the others right now. They're on their own."

"That's crap!" Tommy yelled. " _I'll_ go out and find them if you're too scared, Uncle."

Bi-han raised his eyebrow at him. "You think I'm scared?" he asked, crossing his arms and gazing at the boys sternly.

"Enough of this," Tomas interrupted before a family feud got started. "I can look for them and any other survivors on the cameras."

He faced the monitors again and let his hands fly across the keyboard. Within moments, the cameras were activated and all revealed Tarkatans swarming through the Temple, destroying everything in their path. Just to be doubly sure that the Lin Kuei warriors sprawled on the ground were truly dead, many of the enemy took to stabbing them with their armblades through their skulls. Beside the remnants of the main gate, no less than five of the Elites, all of whom had been gravely wounded anyway, met their gruesome end. Tomas winced, but refused to look away. He owed them that much.

When they were dead, Tomas sighed and then silently tapped some more buttons, bringing up other cameras, seeing more of the same. But there was no sign of any survivors. He repeated this process several times and began to grow frustrated when he found nothing of consequence. He frowned. Then a new thought occurred to him. What if some of them had gone through the portal?

Renewed by his sudden idea, he pulled up the view of the portal room, and his heart immediately lurched when he saw it. It was obliterated, but not as if it had been destroyed by a flaming volley. Rather, the char patterns intermingled with the shape and placement of the debris suggested that the self-destruct sequence had been activated. Puzzled, Tomas pulled up the data from the portal computer. His cybernetic eyes flew over the words and confirmed his suspicions: the portal had been intentionally destroyed.

It was something only the Grandmaster could do.

"What the hell was he doing?" he mumbled to himself, cycling through surveillance footage from the past hour.

"What did you find, my love?" Kailyn asked, now looking at the screen.

"Kuai Liang activated the portal's self-destruct sequence," he murmured distractedly, and finally caught sight of his friend jumping through the portal. "There," he said. "He went through the portal. That's why he's not here."

"He abandoned us?" Tommy asked, his tone accusatory and furious. "When we needed him the most, he just left?" The Enenra glanced at him and noted that his nephew's cheeks were fire-engine red.

"He also ordered our sentries on the wall to stand down," Cyrax, who'd joined their group alongside Xinyi only moments before, reported. "When one of them asked him why, he struck him and broke his jaw."

"That doesn't sound like my brother," Bi-han now frowned.

"Except he hasn't been acting like himself these last couple of days, has he?" Tomas snarled, his own fury catching up with him.

He tapped more keys and rewound the portal footage even further. Now Olivia was there, confronting him, so he let the video play forward. Unexpectedly, the Grandmaster attacked her and she nobly defended herself, clearly trying to avoid hurting him in the process. But she was losing soundly. Then Kuai Liang dragged her from the floor and kneed her hard enough to snap her leg like a twig. He poised to kill her with a kori sword, but something drew his attention and he bolted off, running through the open portal.

"If Livy was in there when it exploded…" Jamie trailed off, his face now wrenched into a mask of grief. His head sagged to the floor. He couldn't bring himself to say what they were all thinking. No one else could, for that matter.

"Wait, look!" Morgan yelped as she pointed to the screen. And now they saw Miyuki run in and drag Olivia out just before the screen went dark.

With a sudden resurgence of hope pumping through his heart, Tomas quickly typed in more commands. The surveillance cameras instantly switched to real time and skipped down the hall until finally, he saw Miyuki and Olivia hunched behind a mound of debris, the latter unconscious and too wounded to fight anyway. Also on the screen were seven Tarkatans gradually creeping towards them. It was doubtful they knew the Cryomancers were hidden there, but they'd find them in a moment. And by then, both women would be dead because God knew Frost couldn't be counted on to fight them off. The cyber-ninja swore in Czech.

"I'm going to get them," he announced a second later as he tapped several buttons on his cybernetic gauntlet. Before anyone had a chance to protest, he was already teleporting to their location, and silently appeared beside the women a second later.

Miyuki's eyes went wide with surprise, but Tomas quickly pressed his finger to his mouth, the universal signal to be quiet, and she nodded her understanding. Then, he took her by the hand and gripped Olivia's limp palm in his other. Just as the Tarkatans, who were grunting and snarling lowly, peeked around the pile of drywall and shards of wood, the three were already gone, having teleported back to the catacombs.

"Livy!" Tommy yelped when they reappeared amongst the others. He lunged to her side, examined her, and then glanced over his shoulder. "Sam! Get over here! Now!" he shouted at his baby sister.

"Let's move her onto a cot," Bi-han suggested, nodding at his nephews while Samantha quickly finished healing someone and then made her way to them. The Cryomancer carefully scooped Olivia into his arms and then found his way to a cot where Justin, a far less severely injured Elite, was resting. "Move it," he barked at the young man, who couldn't vacate his spot fast enough. Bi-han had that effect on people, Tomas knew.

"I used my powers to knock her out," Miyuki reported when Olivia was laying on the cot. She nervously wrung her hands as if that wasn't okay. "She was in agony and wouldn't move otherwise. But we couldn't stay there."

"That's what I would've done," Bi-han told her reassuringly while Sam knelt beside her sister and began working on her.

"I...I think Kuai Liang did this to her," she blurted out a moment later. "I didn't see it, but-"

"It's okay, Miyuki," her older brother told her as he patted her on the shoulder. "We know."

"This is far above my skill to heal," Sam sighed in exasperation. She was staring at the compound fracture. "I can take care of the other stuff, but I'm not even sure _Mom_ could take care of this without setting the bone first. And I don't know how to set bones."

"It's alright," Tomas gently told her. "Just do what you can. Take that belt off, though. It looks as if her bleeding has stopped."

"Speaking of Mom," Tommy began, now rising to his feet and looking at Tomas again, "we need to find her too."

"Unless Dad murdered her," Jamie mumbled, eliciting a chorus of angry retorts and groans.

"That's not helpful," Tomas reprimanded him at the same time Tommy yelled, "Shut your mouth!"

"Well, she wasn't on any of the cameras!" the teenager yelled back. "If he didn't get her, then one of the Tarkatans did."

"Mom was in the infirmary when the attack started," Sam now declared. "At least, that's what Livy said. She missed breakfast because she wanted to start work early."

Bi-han sighed. "Pull up the infirmary cameras for the last hour," he ordered Tomas, who nodded and tapped the keyboard a few times.

In a moment, Anya appeared on the screen, but their view of her was partially obscured by the door to her office at the back of the infirmary proper. Still, she had been crying into her palms, over what, Tomas could not say. It was almost pitiful the way she looked up with swollen, dark eyes and clutched a handful of tissues from the Kleenex box on her desk before burying her face in them. And then, the walls around her began to shake and she looked up in surprise. She had all of three seconds to think about what was happening before the screen went black.

Tomas typed in more commands and pulled up the camera just outside the infirmary. A host of Tarkatans were milling around, but their presence wasn't what captivated his attention. The infirmary was a smoldering mess with the outermost wall spilled like a fan into the corridor and the rest of it collapsed haphazardly inside.

"The infirmary fell on her," Bi-han deduced. His voice had taken on a somber tone.

"She's trapped in there!" Tommy yelled. "We have to do something!" He looked expectantly at Tomas. "We have to save her."

The cyber-ninja sighed and let his head sag down. "Tommy," he began, his voice painfully quiet.

"You can teleport in there," he continued, not listening. "Pick her up like you did for Aunt Miyuki and Olivia."

"Tommy," he repeated, this time more loudly.

"What are you waiting for? She's probably scared to death. And she might be hurt-"

"Tommy, I can't," he said and he sadly swiveled his head to meet his nephew's gaze. "I don't know if there's any empty space around her to teleport into. And even if there is, if she's pinned by something, and I try to move it, it'll undoubtedly bring it down completely. It'll kill us both. If she's not already…" He swallowed hard as Kailyn gasped and rubbed her eyes.

"If she's not already what, Uncle?" he demanded to know.

"You know what," he told him. His eyes filled with tears of his own when he saw tears overwhelm the boy's. He wove his way through the others and rested his hands on Tommy's shoulders. "We're going to have to rescue her the old-fashioned way. But we can't do anything until the Tarkatans are gone."

"You can't just leave her there," his voice broke. Jamie and Sam both looked from him to Tomas. Their faces were just as forlorn as their brother's.

He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. But we're going to have to."

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, divide and conquer, most definitely. Also, cut off their only viable escape route.**

 **alwaysdoubted, whatever Reiko has in store for Sub-Zero, it's definitely going to be unpleasant.**

 **The Titan's Shadow, it's okay, no worries! So yeah, there's all this horrible stuff going down, but at _least_ no one was mean to Frost LOL**

 **Guest, I have a strange feeling that it's Jiayi ;)**

 **Phant0mZone, I won't say no, but I will say probably not since _Aftermath_ was meant to tie up some of the stuff from _The Curse of the Dragon Medallion_. I got stuck on Cyrax's chapter and was lost for ideas. I also need to finish "Coming of Age." **

**Daniel Barga, I don't know the answer to those questions LOL Tune in to my later installments to find out! ;)**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, not _quite_ off the hook like Jack in _The Shining_. But still pretty creepy. And you know I'm going to keep upping the ante because why not? LOL **

**ROCuevas, indeed!**


	12. Under Siege

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delayed update, but 1) my dad jacked up his shoulder at work and had to have surgery, so I've been taking care of him, and 2) I got the new _Mortal Kombat_ game and have been somewhat distracted by that. This chapter was also difficult for me to write because I was feeling a bit blocked, so I hope it's enjoyable.**

* * *

"You can't just leave Mom in there!" Samantha argued with Tomas for the fifth time in as many minutes. Her cheeks were covered in soot, slicked clean in trails where her tears had fallen.

"Samantha," Tomas began, his teeth now clinched as he slammed his fingers into the computer buttons, "I am done discussing this. The answer is no. It is _not_ up for debate."

"This isn't fair!" she yelled. "We need my mom. _Livy_ needs my mom."

With that, she cast a worried glance over at her older sister, who had woken up from Miyuki's cold stun and was stretched out upon a cot. Her leg laid there at a strange angle nature never intended it to make with the splintered bone jutting out the side. Blood-black clots decorated the wound. Olivia herself was largely quiet, though she _was_ grimacing and groaning occasionally, her fingers balled into white-knuckled fists on either side of her body. Tears silently slipped down her cheeks to either ear, and Bi-han knew she was in considerable pain right now in spite of the field morphine Cyrax had administered to her. But she'd stubbornly refused to let him stun her back to sleep, nor had she allowed anyone to hold her hand for comfort. Still, Bi-han sat on a wooden crate by her side, stroking her hair out of her eyes.

"It is too dangerous," the Enenra reiterated, pulling his eyes from the computer panel and looking at his gravely wounded niece. He looked back to Sam. Miyuki had joined her side by this point.

"But-"

"Enough, Samantha!" he finally snapped.

Bi-han, who'd been watching his lifelong friend struggle to retain his patience in spite of the inordinate amount of stress he was currently under, now swiveled his head from Livy to look at his youngest niece. The Hydromancer girl stubbornly stood before Tomas, her arms crossed like a petulant child, her bottom lip quivering. She glared at her Uncle with lavender eyes like daggers cutting him down where he stood. But she said nothing further.

She was right, Bi-han decided, but then again, so was Tomas. It really _was_ too dangerous to stage a rescue right now. Tarkatans currently swarmed through the Temple, searching for the survivors, killing any that they found. It would only be a matter of time before they found this little bunker in the catacombs, and they would fight hard to penetrate their technological defenses. Reiko would settle for nothing less, he suspected. And maybe they would succeed. Who knew how vast the General's knowledge of magic and spells was, and if he was capable of using that magic to break through the blast doors? Going for Anya right now was suicide. There was no viable way to save her…

...except for one…

"Smoke," Bi-han spoke and took a step toward his friend. " _I_ can save her."

Tomas started at the interruption and then looked from Samantha to him, raising an eyebrow. "You, Bi-han?" he asked, puzzled. "What can _you_ do to-" He immediately cut himself off as sudden understanding hit him, and his expression fell into a worried mask. "Bi-han, _no_ ," he urgently replied. "You can't!"

"Sam's right," he replied. "We need Anya here. There are far too many wounded for Sam, Danika, and Connor to care for. And we have no way of knowing when or if General Blade will arrive to save us."

"And if Anya's already dead?" he challenged, prompting Kailyn to start to cry, though he ignored her. "Would risking your soul be worth it _then_?"

"It is a risk I'm willing to take," he said.

Tomas' concerns were definitely justified, and Bi-han inwardly admitted that the ever-present demon in his head jumping with glee over the prospect of being turned loose did nothing to reassure him. Raiden had warned him - when he'd saved him from Quan Chi's clutches years ago - that Noob Saibot was not gone, only subdued, and unless he wanted to become a wraith again, he would _never_ use the demon's powers for anything. Since then, the Cryomancer had obeyed the Thunder God faithfully. Never once had he answered the darkness within, never once had he used those powers, never once had he given in to temptation. Surely, he argued with himself now, one time wouldn't be enough to turn him.

"This is a terrible idea," Tomas frowned. "You can't risk losing your soul inside Noob Saibot again. Anya wouldn't want that. _Kuai Liang_ wouldn't want that."

At the mention of the wraith, everyone within earshot noticeably tensed. Though his face remained a cold mask, Bi-han inwardly flinched as well, his brain quickly overwhelmed with terrible memories best left buried. But he calmly looked his friend in the eye and said, "It is not your decision to make. And it is not Anya or Kuai Liang's either. I'll be back soon."

"Bi-han!" Tomas started to argue, but the Cryomancer had already let the oily black stain escape from his brain and whisk him away from the bunker.

As he slipped into the cramped spaces between the Realms and into the tiniest of holes between the atoms that made up the very fabric of reality, Bi-han was once again confronted by the demon: it was darkness made something tangible and real, so much more than a simple absence of light. He felt it touch his skin, questing, moving, exploring...gliding through his mind. It slipped into his lungs, behind his eyes, into his mouth...and soon found its way to his soul. But this time, Bi-han drove it back. He had to hold Noob just close enough to use those powers, but also had to push him away just far enough to keep his soul from absorbing the blackness. It was a terrifying conundrum, he vaguely realized, and his heartbeat quickened as he struggled to keep himself in balance.

By instinct, he knew where to emerge from the cosmic slipstream into Anya's infirmary, though out of necessity, he forced his body to stay out of phase from reality as he scanned the area. Tomas' suspicions had been accurate - several support beams pinned his sister-in-law to the floor, and if he moved one, the rest of the ceiling would collapse upon them both. A halo of blood surrounded her skull, which had been split by errant debris, but with his hellish vision that could recognize the presence or absence of a life force, he saw her pulse steadily beating through her neck, weak but alive. She was unconscious.

"This might feel somewhat strange," Bi-han told her as he phased through the fallen beams and slid his hands beneath her body, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. When he touched her, she immediately phased out of the material reality too, and he yanked her into his arms. Expectedly, the beams shifted in her absence, and with a quaking groan, more debris fell from the ceiling. But they were already gone anyway.

"Mom!" Sam cried when Bi-han re-emerged in the bunker a moment later, holding his sister-in-law's limp body in his arms. She, along with her twin brothers, ran to their uncle and frantically examined their mother. "She's alive!"

"Back up," Bi-han barked at them. "Give her some air."

Tomas pulled himself from the computer panels once more and gazed at the Cryomancer with a stern expression. "I am glad that you saved Anya," he began. "I just hope you didn't trade your soul for her life."

"I'm fine, Tomas," he growled before he carried the nurse to a cot next to Olivia's. "Come, scan her," he ordered. "Her head is wounded."

Still seething, the Enenra complied and held up his cybernetic hand over Anya's body. For a brief moment, there was a mechanical whirring and computerized trilling coming from his prosthetic. "She has a depressed skull fracture in the middle cranial fossa and significant damage to the temporal lobe. Her brain is swelling slightly and it is bleeding into the cranial cavity from the wound. Also, she's leaking cerebrospinal fluid."

"How can you tell _that_?" Jamie asked, looking at his uncle in puzzlement.

"I can see it dripping out of her ear," Tomas reported matter-of-factly as he pointed with his human finger at her ear on the afflicted side. As he'd said, a clear fluid speckled with tiny spots of blood dribbled over her ear lobe.

"Oh, my God," Sam breathed as she lunged to her mother's side. She gently rested her hands on Anya's forehead and battered hand before closing her eyes. In a moment, however, she angrily shook her head and then, with tears in her eyes, looked up at her family. "I don't have enough energy," she whined. "I used it all helping the others." She cast a look at her cousins, Danika and Connor. "What about you guys?" she wondered.

Connor, the nineteen year old Elite who had Kailyn's pale cornsilk hair and strong jawline, shook his head no and said, "I'm sorry, Sam," while he knelt beside both her and his aunt. "My energy is spent too."

"So is mine," Danika added as she curled her arm around Kailyn's waist and rested her head on her shoulder. She favored Tomas more, with her oval face full of mirth. "I spent what I had left trying to help Livy."

"Is Mom going to die?" Tommy now asked, looking from Tomas to Bi-han and back again.

Bi-han saw the Enenra swallow hard before his head sagged to the floor and he nodded. "If Anya doesn't have surgery to fix this soon, she'll probably die."

The teenager recoiled and frowned. "Then we need to get her out of here. She needs to get to a hospital."

"Oh, sure, we'll just jump in our car and go," Jamie snapped at his brother.

"Shut up," the other hissed at him before shoving him.

Jamie started to lunge back at his twin with his fist drawn back, but now Bi-han interposed himself between them and glared at them both as he grabbed their ears. " _Both_ of you shut it," he growled, ignoring their yelps of pain.

"Yes," Tomas agreed, scowling at his nephews. "I don't need this nonsense right now."

"I know we can't just leave," Tommy grimaced. "But Uncle Bi-han, can't you take Mom to Ft. Albany?"

"No, he can't," the Enenra replied.

"Yes, I can," Bi-han immediately countered. "But I won't. Using Noob's powers just enough to get your mother from the infirmary pushed me dangerously close to the line. I would have to _cross_ that line completely and let him overtake me in order to have enough power to get to a location hundreds of miles away." Tommy didn't argue with that, but he wilted, prompting his uncle to say, "We'll do what we can for her here, and pray that help arrives quickly."

Suddenly, an alarm droned from the computer, and the survivors in the bunker let out a collective gasp. Tomas immediately shot through his family to the control panels and Cyrax joined his side. Kailyn, who was kneeling by Anya, gripped her spear while the uninjured Elites and Masters made for the door with their weapons drawn. Bi-han followed only two steps behind.

 _You can end all these Tarkatans' lives_ , an unearthly, ghostly voice suddenly whispered through his head, and for the first time in nearly twenty years, Bi-han heard Noob's raspy voice speak to him. He noticeably tensed, prompting Tomas to cast a puzzled glance in his direction.

"What's wrong?" he demanded to know.

"I'm fine," he lied.

 _Why wait for help when you can take care of the problem yourself? You know what I speak of. The Tarkatans are no match for the power of Death._

Bi-han said nothing, but he silently willed Noob to shut up.

 _You would use my power to save one pitiful woman, but not the lives of everyone in this Temple?_ The demon laughed. His voice was dry and cracked like old parchment. _You always were a coward_.

Again, he willed Noob to shut his mouth and return to hibernation in the back of his mind.

 _Always too afraid to do what is necessary..._

"SHUT UP!" the Cryomancer now yelled, prompting everyone around him to jump.

Now Tomas narrowed his eyes at his old friend. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded to know.

Bi-han swallowed hard and shook his head. "Can't you shut that damn thing up?" he swore, pointing at the blaring red alarms. "Every Tarkatan within a hundred miles is going to hear that."

"I'm working on it," the cyber-ninja slowly replied. He clicked a few buttons on his keyboard and silenced the droning shrieks. He looked back to the screens. "But the Tarkatans have already found us," he reported, pointing to the monitors. On the screens, a sea of snarling beasts flooded the catacombs and pressed in one heaving mass towards the door.

It wasn't long before the snarling cries of the Tarkatans touched Bi-han's ears, and the horde began to slam and stab at the blast shields. A rapid fusillade of muffled thumps, like a pummeling from a line of battering rams striking all at once, reverberated through the walls. The entire shelter shook as a series of concussive blasts ripped across the corridors outside, shockwaves hurtling earth and dead fighters this way and that, white-hot flame melting into slag anything those shockwaves missed.

"They're coming through!" Morgan cried, poised at the front of the line with her spear.

 _If they make it through, everyone dies…_

Bi-han couldn't even argue with his demon's conclusion.

 _You can stop this._

"I...can't…" he whispered to himself, his voice drowned by the noises at the door.

 _You know what they'll do to your family_ , Noob reminded him. _They've already claimed Kuai Liang. But what about the rest of them? Will you really let your bloodline end here?_

No, he inwardly sighed. He couldn't.

Of the three Cryomancer siblings, Kuai Liang was the one who'd _made_ it. He had proven, time and again, to be the strongest of them, the _best_ of them. And for his strength, he'd been blessed with the chance to have a family of his own, and for them he was nurturing, protective, supportive. Bi-han's own nurturing instinct was mildly sadist - doing things to his nieces and nephews that verged on cruel, things like picking them up and threatening to drop them, things that Kuai Liang would _never_ do in a thousand years. But even still, Bi-han adored those kids almost as much as their father did. He _had_ to protect them as stubbornly as their father would, even at the expense of his own soul. For Kuai Liang...

Bi-han leaned back, bracing himself against the wall, and his head drooped in concentration. The air, which had been still and rancid with the smells of blood and sweat, eerily whistled around him, yanking his stringy hair over his face. And for the second time that day, he let Noob Saibot free.

The first line of Tarkatans that broke through the defenses came snarling through the ash and died as quickly as they appeared. Inky shadow spread over them, poured from some unseen well, and the life simply fled from their bodies. Even inertia seemed sucked from them, for they immediately ceased their charge and toppled, some tripping the next line of monsters behind them. Cyclones of dark, demonic power rose from the debris and chewed through flesh like it was nothing more than a soft stick of butter. Forks of black lightning seared them, blasting holes through their bodies and making craters in the ground, prompting the surviving Lin Kuei to attack with deadly weapons and powers alike.

On and on, for minutes that felt like they dragged into hours, Noob's powers raged beside the more earthly ones while on and on, Reiko's army of Tarkatans advanced, a rising tide of bony armblades and snapping fangs. Bi-han, for all his powers, knew his people couldn't hold them off forever. This bunker was never intended to stand up to a genuine siege, and there were too many Tarkatans to drive off entirely. The thought pushed him ever closer to the demon's outstretched arms.

But he fought Noob inside of him just as he fought the enemy without, and soon, the black lightning and the inky shadows all slowed. Fewer Tarkatans attracted notice, and the notice they _did_ garner killed less of them. But still, the horde came as if the debris and the fallen warriors littering the ground gave birth to them all over again.

When he sensed his demonic powers begin to fail him, Bi-han sprang into action and plowed into their army, letting their armblades careen harmlessly from his armor. He swung his massive kori sword in broad strokes, rending Tarkatans several at a time, the heavy blade crushing any beast that stood too close. Few of the enemy came anywhere close to hitting him, and those that did met a swift and bloody end. Only when he had no other choice did Bi-han rely on Noob's power to stop an incoming stroke; in those moments, his darkest shadow left his body and ripped his attackers into very literal pieces.

And then something unexpected happened: help arrived.

The first shots rang through the tunnel, piercing the chaos of battle with deafening explosions. Bi-han cried out to Tomas to retreat before he dived forward, his shadow and him both fighting to block the Tarkatans' passage into the bunker. More gunshots rang out as little flashes of light burst in his vision, raining a barrage of bullets through the corridor, felling the monsters from their rear. Other shots pinged off the solid rock of the catacombs, but they left deep gouges in the walls like honeycombs. Smoke from the guns wafted through the confined area and wreathed the Tarkatans' heads in a sulfuric haze.

It wasn't long before the source of the gunfire came into view, and Bi-han recognized the Special Forces cutting down their enemies one by one. They were lead by Sergeant Cage, General Blade's daughter, and her cohorts, Specialist Briggs, Takeda, and Kung Jin, as well as Johnny Cage and Kenshi. Guns continued to fire and arrows flew. Takeda killed many Tarkatans alone with his razor whips and his psychokinetic power, the gift he shared with Kenshi. Almost comically, several enemies rose into the air on unseen hands and then violently snapped into walls, killing them in an instant. On the other side of the warriors, the surviving Lin Kuei were reinvigorated with hope, and they charged forward with a war cry that drowned out all the other sounds in the catacombs. The Tarkatans never got the chance to retreat. Between the Special Forces and the Lin Kuei, none of them survived long enough.

"Clear the Temple!" Sergeant Cage yelled at her men when the catacombs were secured. Immediately, the men, led by Specialist Briggs, Takeda, and Jin, trotted off to track down any other Tarkatans they'd missed.

 _Kill them all!_ Noob hissed inside Bi-han's head, his bloodlust boiling over inside of him. Groaning, he somehow forced the wraith to back down.

"We got your distress signal," Sergeant Cage told Smoke as Johnny and Kenshi joined her side. "We came as fast as we could. Wish we could've gotten here sooner."

"You arrived just in time, " Tomas told her with a half-hearted smile. "Thank you for answering our call, _miláčku_." He patted the young officer on her shoulder.

"Tarkatans in Earthrealm, though," Johnny now spoke. "What were they doing here?"

" _That_ is a long story," the cyber-ninja sighed. "But the abbreviated version is this: Reiko's back and he had a score to settle with the Lin Kuei."

"I bet Grandmaster Coolio doesn't take too kindly to _that_ ," he muttered, prompting Bi-han and Tomas to exchange a look.

Tomas cleared his throat and sadly nodded. "Well, again, that is a long story. But first, we must evacuate the wounded. There are many in need of critical care, especially the Grandmaster's wife."

 _Leave her to die...Leave her! Leave her! Leave her!_

"We have two C-17's standing by close by, waiting to take you guys to Ft. Albany," Sergeant Cage reported as Bi-han crossed his arms and wrenched his eyes shut to force Noob to go away. "I have another team scouting out the perimeter to make sure they're all gone."

"Yeah," Johnny drawled with that confident swagger of his, "the creeps outside hightailed it out of here through a portal when they saw us show up. But that doesn't mean there aren't more waiting to ambush us when we leave."

"No," Tomas sighed. "Reiko wouldn't risk that. He's not about to let his army get wiped out."

"Still have to make sure," Sergeant Cage insisted, and he bowed his head in agreement.

Bi-han then looked at his old friend with some difficulty. "I'll recruit the uninjured to help us take the wounded to the planes." And then he walked off, still mentally warding off Noob inside of his head.

* * *

Reiko strode through the portal, surrounded on all sides by Tarkatans and Edenians, accompanied by Rain and Havik, to a bucolic forest just barely beginning to awaken from its long winter slumber. Suddenly, he saw the buds on the cherry trees around him; he could feel the energy packed within them, a bouquet of fireworks whose fuse had already been lit. He could smell them, too, a subtle essence of children's candy, the sweetness deepened by the scent of the slowly warming earth below them. Kneeling in the shade of one was the Grandmaster Sub-Zero, waiting. As the General emerged and approached him, he looked up, stood, and gazed at him with all the emotional range of a piece of wood.

"You did well," he praised his slave, though he knew the Cryomancer currently harbored no ego to stroke, therefore he couldn't possibly care about receiving compliments from his master.

"Many of the Lin Kuei survived," Rain protested.

"An unfortunate turn of events, I'm afraid," he told his old friend. "I didn't expect the other Earthrealm Champions to arrive so quickly to help them." He sighed. "But it is no matter. Their numbers are severely decimated. The ones who survived are wounded. They will not be able to challenge me for quite some time."

"If that is indeed their intention," Havik reminded him.

"Oh, it is," Reiko wolfishly grinned. "They'll want revenge on me for destroying their Temple, killing their warriors, and possessing their Grandmaster. But by the time they're strong enough to do something about it, I will have succeeded in claiming Shinnok's amulet and I will wipe them out of existence." He clapped the Cleric on the back. "Let us concern ourselves with the next target." He glanced down the path at the structure standing peacefully in the distance.

It was the Shirai Ryu Temple.

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, you know, I've been entertaining the idea of moving the Temple closer to everyone else, but to be honest, I'm not sure if that's something I want to do or not. We'll see.**

 **ROCuevas, thanks!**

 **Daniel Barga, yes, there will come a time when he'll fight against his brother and sister, only the tables have turned and _he's_ the bad guy ;) I'm glad that you liked Frost helping her niece. There's sure to be more of that down the road. Thank you, as always, for your continued support! :) **

**alwaysdoubted, agreed. Livy can be a butt sometimes, but I think she can recognize what her aunt did for her and be grateful for it. But as with all my stories, it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better.**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, I'll have to look that song up on YouTube LOL But yeah, it definitely could be a turning point for Livy and Frost. They're both gonna have their hands full from here on out.**

 **iceangelmkx, yay, I'm glad you're caught up! Aw, you know how I roll. Just when you think it can't get any worse, I go there LOL**


	13. Scenes From Ft Albany

**Author's Note: After struggling a month with this chapter, I just gave up and decided to go with it. It's a filler chapter, but hopefully the re-emergence of some familiar favorites makes up for it LOL**

* * *

As the C-17's unloaded their disheveled and wounded passengers, the hospital within Ft. Albany quickly became a zombie-land full of hideous monsters with bandaged heads, half skulls, dragging the left half of their body, trailing a leg behind them as they went. The hospital room was as cold as dead skin, the hallway crowded and reeking of injury. It was the smell that hit Tomas first. It was a sterile, antiseptic, and very distinctive medical smell, a smell with an underlying metallic reek of blood beneath it that reminded him of the lab where he was fully automated years ago. Just like a school smelled like chalk and old books, or a mechanic's shop smelled like gas and rust, the smell of the hospital pointed towards its purpose. He wasn't shocked by it, however. It _was_ a hospital, after all.

Anya was still unconscious, though a nurse - Owens, Tomas vaguely thought - had at least cleaned the blood off her head as much as possible so that she didn't look quite so grotesque. Electrodes currently sprouted from her scalp like white vines and trailed to a computer monitor where lines that looked like a bunch of meaningless squiggles appeared in glowing green. They had already stuffed her into a hard plastic neck brace and put her through a CT-scan and an MRI, and now, the doctor had returned to give Tomas his prognosis.

"In layman's terms," he was saying, "Annalise's skull is fractured badly enough that it has caused some significant brain injury. Right now, she is in a coma due to internal brain bleeding and swelling. I have to go in and repair it immediately."

Tomas looked at Dr. Kastro, a small Hispanic man with a face like a full moon and a dimple in his chin, the only neurosurgeon at Ft. Albany, with a blank stare. "I knew that," he said, and then wiggled his cybernetic fingers at the man in something like a wave, reminding him of his advanced scanning capabilities. "So save her."

"We'll be back to get her for surgery in a moment," the doctor replied before he squeezed from the private exam room and scurried down the hall.

"Mr. Vrbada, I need you to sign the release forms for Annalise," Nurse Owens told him, now shuffling towards him with a clipboard and a stack of papers.

"Why?" he demanded to know. "Just take her to surgery. This is an emergency."

"We will, but we need your signature-"

"Will my signature be performing surgery?" he countered in annoyance.

She bristled, equally impatient. "You're clearly listed on Ms. Sullivan's file as an authorized person to make medical decisions for her in the event her husband isn't present or able," she told Tomas. "If you're not willing-"

" _Káča pitomá_!" the Enenra snapped at her, his Czech accent thick, the beginnings of a migraine creeping around the edges of his eyesight. This day was rapidly catching up to him. "Just give me the papers!"

The nurse handed him the clipboard and quietly waited for him to scribble his hasty signature everywhere she'd marked an x. He grumbled and rattled off a string of Czech curse words at this nonsense. His sister-in-law's life was hanging in the balance. Why, then, did they need a mountain of paperwork filled out before they could actually do something to save her?

When he was finished, he scowled and shoved the clipboard back into the nurse's hands. "Now hurry up," he barked at her. "You've wasted enough time."

"We'll be taking her to surgery in about five minutes, Mr. Vrbada," the nurse replied. "I'll be back to shave her head and get her ready to go to the OR." And then she disappeared down the hall.

"They're going to shave Anya's head?" Kailyn now asked, mortified. "But why?"

"To prevent the spread of infection, and also so that her hair doesn't get in the doctor's way," Tomas replied, now tiredly taking her in his arms and resting his head on top of hers. "They may not have to shave it all, my love. But it _is_ only hair. Saving her life is more important."

"Yes," Kailyn agreed. "But much of a woman's power is in her hair."

He chuckled softly at that. Over twenty years spent in Earthrealm, and still, his mate sometimes clung to archaic Hydromancer thinking. "No, my love, I think a woman's power is in her heart. And Anya's heart is strong."

"If you're right, I hope it is strong enough to-" Before she could finish her thought, Kailyn started to cry, and pulled herself tighter to Tomas' body. "I don't want to lose my sister," she whimpered a moment later, prompting him to kiss the top of her head and sway with her for a long minute to console her. He felt similarly. Anya was the closest thing to a sister he had, and he both loved and fought with her like one too. At the thought, he squeezed Kailyn tighter, and he felt pleased when she squeezed him back too.

"Uncle Tomas?" a new voice spoke, and when the cyber-ninja looked up, he saw Tommy and Jamie standing at the doorway, peeking in.

"Come in," he told them as Kailyn pulled away and wiped her eyes. "They're going to take your mother to surgery in a couple of minutes," he reported when they squeezed into the room.

"Why?" Tommy wondered, his face unusually somber.

"Her brain is bleeding," he answered. "The pressure is building. If they don't relieve the pressure, she could die."

Jamie's face fell as he now gripped Anya's hand in his own. He wrenched his face in grief before he kissed it and began to blink back tears. His twin, however, was not quite as dignified. Tommy fought his pain for a moment, and it was a good fight, but within moments, he was quietly weeping on the other side of his mother's hospital bed, gingerly stroking back her bangs around the EEG electrodes.

Tomas looked at him, dumbfounded at the teenager's show of emotion. Tommy, just like his ornery namesake, was seldom serious and generally spent more time laughing and raising hell than anything else. The cyber-ninja often teased Kuai Liang, who was usually quite exasperated with his son, that he'd jinxed himself by naming him after his lifelong best friend. But now, watching the boy fall apart with fear and worry for his mother, there was no humor or jokes in the Enenra's thoughts. Tomas' heart went out to him, and to Jamie as well. Though they liked to pretend otherwise, they were most definitely momma's boys.

Before he even knew he had done it, Tomas reached out for Tommy and yanked him to him. And then he motioned for Jamie to get up and join them, and when the other boy obeyed, he curled his arm around him as well, pressing them to each shoulder to let them cry it out. He stood there, holding him not like a well-meaning uncle, but like a father.

It was funny, he vaguely thought, how they'd come full circle. Years ago, when he was still automated and unable to feel anything for his infant son, Alex, let alone take care of him, it had been Kuai Liang who'd raised him and doted on him like his own son. Now that the Grandmaster was physically unable to care for _his_ children, Tomas finally had the chance to repay him.

"Why is this happening, Uncle Tomas?" Jamie finally asked. "Why did Dad do this to us?"

The cyber-ninja shook his head softly. "Reiko did something to him," he replied, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Who cares?" Tommy bitterly replied. "I hope he dies."

"You don't mean that," his uncle retorted, squeezing him tighter. "You're angry. That's understandable. So am I. But _synovec_ , you must direct your anger at the one responsible. Your father is a victim in this. He is not himself."

"It doesn't matter," the boy stubbornly argued. "He destroyed our home and may have killed my mom. He almost killed Livy too."

"It _does_ matter," Tomas challenged him, though his voice was little more than a whisper. "You know that he'd never betray any of us on his own. Reiko cast a spell over him that took control over his entire soul." He sighed. "I don't think I need to remind you boys that I know better than most how horrifying it is having no control over your actions. Your father is living in his own private hell right now. He needs our compassion and mercy more than anything. And I'm going to need you boys to help me save him."

"How are we supposed to do _that_?" Jamie asked.

Tomas shook his head, unable to answer. "I don't know," he finally whispered.

* * *

The worst of the wounded were quickly assessed, and rapidly ushered off to emergency surgery. Olivia was one of the first to go into surgery, but she was in the recovery room by the time the last of the survivors stumbled off the C-17 and into the base, and back in her cramped room only an hour after that. A splint now wrapped with thick bandages kept the young Cryomancer's leg in place, and ice packs were strategically placed around the break to reduce swelling and alleviate discomfort. Not that Olivia was in pain at the moment. She was currently hooked to a morphine pump, and additionally, she was still fairly out of it from the anesthesia drugs they'd given her for surgery.

Miyuki watched her niece from the door through the ordeal, thinking about the day her father, An Zhi, had also broken her leg after he'd razed her village to the ground. Then, as it was now, the survivors had gone to the city hospital for treatment. She remembered sitting on the edge of a white-sheeted bed, the muscles in her arms drawn taut as she gripped the linen and tried to contain her screams of pain while the doctor set her leg, her teeth feeling like they'd crack from being clenched so hard, watching the seconds slowly drip off the clock. Olivia, she wagered, had it worse. At least Miyuki hadn't known at the time that it was her own father who'd tried to kill her. Such knowledge was undoubtedly the biggest source of pain for the young Cryomancer.

Samantha was sitting next to Olivia, holding her hand as she rested her head on her arms on the mattress, softly snoring. When speaking, Miyuki had often observed that the sisters' voices were almost identical, laughing mezzos undoubtedly tuned in childhood to the same pitch and ring. To the ear, they were twins; to the eye, they were nothing alike. Olivia was taller and slender, and her hair...well, who knew when she'd cut that white mane last? Her sapphire eyes were clever, guarded, full of wisdom only hard life lessons could grant her, and also extremely beautiful. Her features were delicate, her fingers long and tapered, perfect for curling around an ice ball or kori sword. Sam, however, was tiny and whimsical. Her face and mouth were wider than Olivia's, her cheeks rounder, her eyes deep and generous. She had more of the sun and sea in her, more freckles, more gold in her brown hair. She would smile at anyone, and laugh and joke and sing. She wore the same black robes that the novices all wore, and kept her hair shorter and free. In many respects, Miyuki suddenly mused, they were just like Kuai Liang and Bi-han, as different as night and day.

"How is everyone?" Bi-han asked from a shadowy corner on the opposite side of the room. His voice startled her, and now she noticed him as well as the young Cryomancer prince, Xinyi, leaning against the wall.

"Not good," she murmured. And then, as if her body was compelled to move on its own, she found herself crossing the room to throw her arms around her big brother. Uncertainly, Bi-han tolerated it for a moment, but then he began to relax and even patted her back. "What are we going to do?" she asked a second later. Her voice was muffled by the wall of his body.

"The first thing is to round up the less severely wounded," he answered. "We need to see how many can still fight-"

"I _meant_ about Kuai Liang," she grumbled.

He tensed. "I'm going to get him," he replied. "And if I have to beat Reiko's spell out him, so be it."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "It's all my fault, Bi-han."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded to know. "What did you do?"

Miyuki grimaced. "Olivia was right," she sighed. "I'm a coward. If I'd had the courage to chase down Reiko after he stabbed Kuai Liang, none of this would've happened. I was just too afraid of becoming Frost again. I couldn't do it."

"You're an idiot," her brother bluntly told her.

She recoiled and looked up at him. "Thanks for the pep talk," she frowned.

"You can't deny it," he replied, his voice even and cool. "What would've happened if you _had_ gone after Reiko?" he then asked.

"I would've fought him. Neutralized him. Dragged him back and forced him to undo what he did to Kuai Liang."

Bi-han now cruelly chuckled. "Is that a fact?" he asked. "You would've done all that?"

She tilted her chin indignantly upwards. "Yes, I would've."

"You would've died before you got your first shot in," he corrected her.

"Why does everyone insist on underestimating me?" she hissed. "You know how deadly I can be if I wanted to be."

He nodded his head. "You're lethal, I'm not disputing that," he agreed. "But I also know Reiko. You saw what he did to Kuai Liang, and Kuai Liang has fought him before and knew what to expect. Both times he nearly died. Both times, it was Olivia who saved him."

"You're saying that Olivia can do what I can't?" she asked.

"I'm saying that, for whatever reason, Olivia seems to have Reiko's number," he said. "It might be because she spent enough time with him in Outworld to figure out his strengths and his weaknesses. But either way, Olivia is the only one of the Lin Kuei so far to have gone up against him and _won_."

"She didn't win this time," Miyuki quickly pointed out.

"She didn't fight Reiko this time. She fought her father." He crossed his arms. "And I don't think I have to remind you what kind of head trip that fighting with your own father can do to you." Bi-han glanced at his sleeping niece. "Personally, I think that she was unwilling to admit there was something wrong with him. So she didn't fight him with all her heart. I think a part of her must've thought that striking him was a grave sin. You never disrespect your father like that. _Never_."

Miyuki nodded, realizing there was some semblance of truth in his words, and then stepped to the other side of Olivia's bed and sat down. The girl still hated her, and she wondered if that would ever change. It was completely illogical. But the moment her niece came into her world, Miyuki immediately realized that logic couldn't make sense of someone who was so brand new to her.

"I feel as though I should apologize for this day's events as well," Xinyi said, now interrupting the silence. Both Miyuki and Bi-han swiveled their gaze towards him. "My brother...I never took him for a traitor."

"How do you know he's a traitor?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I could not find him during the attack," he said. "He and Lady Olivia took a walk to the beach this morning. She returned, but he never did."

"Maybe one of Reiko's goons got him out there," she suggested.

Xinyi wistfully smiled and shook his head. "I sincerely doubt that," he replied. "You see, we were borne of the ice and snow of the Bīnglěng Dì Dìyù. All Cryomancers learn from the time they can walk how to navigate through that bitter land, how to elude our enemies, how to hide. Jiayi is _not_ incompetent. He knows how to use the harsh landscape of Arctika to his advantage. He would _not_ have been caught by a Tarkatan in his own element."

"Then perhaps he's in hiding?" she now suggested.

"No," he replied. "As much as it would relieve me to say that was the case, in truth he has been acting strange as of late, spouting off rhetoric about the way Cryomancers should and should not behave, becoming publicly outspoken about his disdain for new ways and new ideas. I am certain he has joined with Reiko in the hopes that the General will help him restore our home to the way it should be, as he perceives it. If I am right, then I will put him down myself."

"If you're right," Bi-han began from his corner, "you won't have to because I will have already done it."

Miyuki listened to the men's threats and then took Olivia's hand in her own, carefully stroking it. For the first time in years, she heard Frost's voice call to her, begging her to punish the Cryomancer Crown Prince. And for the first time in years, she was tempted.

* * *

Kadeem Kabal and Kurtis Stryker somberly marched into Ft. Albany, men on a mission, summoned from the Manhattan South Homicide Squad by their old friend and teammate, General Blade. She'd refused to go into detail over the phone as to the why of the matter, but she _had_ revealed that Earthrealm faced a new threat, the Lin Kuei Temple had fallen under attack, and as a result she was getting the old gang back together. Kabal had been getting a hot dog from a street vendor when she'd called while the health-conscious Stryker stayed in the car and was barely hanging up the phone by the time the other had returned with his lunch.

When the former Black-Dragon-turned-cop climbed back into the Ford Taurus, Stryker wrinkled his nose in disgust at his long-time friend. "I don't know how you can eat that shit," he chided, just as he'd done every day for the past twenty years.

"And I don't know how _you_ eat tofu, but here we are," Kabal shot back before he removed the lower portion of his breathing mask, leaving only the smaller triangular mask suctioned across his nose so he could still breathe while he ate. It was quite similar to a CPAP machine mask, he'd often thought. Quickly, he devoured a bite of his dog, which he'd deliberately loaded with onions, pickle relish, jalapenos, and spicy mustard just to annoy his partner. "Who was that on the phone?" he'd asked around a mouthful of food. "Was that the Cap? Did you tell him I'm still waiting for those Yankees tickets he promised me after I ran down that Lovett idiot?"

"No, it wasn't Cap," Stryker now replied, sighing, clearly unhappy to be reminded of the call. "It was Sonya Blade."

Kabal slowly put down his hot dog. The General _never_ called them unless it was extremely important. "I don't want to know."

"She thinks Earthrealm is under attack," he explained.

"Goddammit, I just said I don't want to know!" he rasped, annoyed.

"By an Outworld General."

Kabal groaned. "Of course it is," he sighed and then threw the rest of his food out the window and into the gutter.

Stryker had been too distressed by the news to even reprimand his partner for littering. "The Lin Kuei Temple fell under attack. They took some pretty heavy losses, I guess. The Temple is all but gone."

The detective's heart plunged into his stomach as his thoughts abruptly shifted to all the innocent people who'd lived in the Temple...women...children... _Anya_. Time and distance had mostly tempered his feelings for her, and for the most part he'd been able to move on and accept that they simply weren't meant to be. Miraculously enough, he'd even managed to seriously date a few women who could overlook his scars throughout the years. But on the rare occasions when he heard from Anya or saw her in person, all those smoldering embers roared back to life again and set him ablaze, and he found himself back at the drawing board, hating Kuai Liang, hating life, and wondering why life always left him burnt and scarred.

He peered at Stryker through his tinted goggles. "Were there any survivors?" he quietly asked. His best friend knew about his internal struggles, just as he knew that she was his primary concern at the moment.

The blond man nodded. "Yeah," he said. "A few. SF intervened and drove off the attackers, and then they took the survivors to Ft. Albany. Sonya didn't say much more than that. But she wants us there, pronto. She already worked it out with Cap."

So now, a couple hours later, the two veteran detectives stamped into the army hospital. It was organized chaos, Kabal thought to himself, with wounded Lin Kuei crowded on stretchers in the cramped hallways and doctors and nurses urgently pushing their way through from patient to patient. The acrid scent of blood and iodine hung in the air while many of the survivors cried and moaned in pain and shock. The vast majority, he saw, nursed deep, even gashes like those made by swords, but there were also quite a few stab wounds as well, vaguely reminding him of the days when he ran with Kano. The noise the survivors made might have been grating to the detective's ears had he truly heard it, but with his mind snared by tunnel vision, the noise seemed a thousand miles away.

"I'm going to find Sonya," Stryker announced to his partner.

"Then I'm going to find Kuai Liang," he replied. "Find out what the fuck happened out there."

The two parted ways, each man setting out on his own separate investigation. Kabal continued deeper into the hospital, searching for any familiar face. He saw Cyrax first, but the Tswanan man was distracted by a bunch of the junior warriors. When the detective asked him where he could find the Grandmaster, Cyrax hastily told him where he could find Smoke instead, and refused to elaborate more.

More than a little irritated with the yellow-clad Lin Kuei warrior, Kabal turned a corner and found Tomas exactly where Cyrax said he'd be, leaning up against a wall, rubbing his temples as if he didn't notice the ugly gash cutting from his eyebrow well into his hairline. The Enenra's downy hair was more disheveled than normal, streaked with gray and black soot that caked parts of his face and neck as well.

"Tomas!" he yelled to get the man's attention.

Tiredly, the cyber-ninja lifted his unnaturally blue eyes towards the detective and sighed. "Hello, Kadeem," he greeted politely. To the detective's eyes, shadows crossed his face, and he looked quite old and tired then. "I wish I could say I was happy to see you."

"What the hell happened?" he demanded to know when he joined his side.

"I don't know," he softly replied and then shook his head. "It's a long story."

"Where's Kuai Liang?" he grilled.

"General Reiko has him," he sighed again. "Took him hostage…" He trailed off and then looked back up at Kabal. "Like I said, it's a long story."

The detective put his hands on his hips, not liking the sound of that at all. "Well, where are the kids? Where's Anya?"

"She's in emergency surgery," he replied, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall.

He recoiled at that, his heart flapping wildly inside his chest. "For what?"

"The infirmary collapsed on her during the attack," he answered, his voice dreamy and distant. "Crushed her head in, not unlike the time she crashed on her motorcycle."

"You mean when Frost tried to kill her?" Kabal asked pointedly, now scowling. "And then you and Noob dragged her off to Outworld?"

"Yes, that would be the time," he mumbled, missing the not-so-subtle dig on his past.

"Do they think she's going to make it?"

The Enenra shrugged. "Maybe." It was clear to Kabal that the man was in shock.

Now it was the detective's turn to sigh. "How many people did you lose?" he asked.

Tomas took a long moment to answer. "A lot," he finally replied. "Cyrax is doing a headcount right now to get an exact number." Finally, he swiveled his head around and looked directly at his old teammate. "But it was a lot. Not just adults...children too. Far too many children. Butchered like animals. And then those...those... _monsters_ ate them like they were fat, juicy steaks and I…" He silenced himself as his voice began to crack. He swallowed hard and remained silent for a moment before he finally allowed himself to finish his thought. "I couldn't save them. Not all of them."

Kabal inhaled deeply. "I'm sure you did your best," he said as he now patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"It wasn't enough."

He frowned. "Are _your_ children okay?" he asked with total sincerity.

Tomas nodded. "Thank God. They didn't even really get hurt. Not even Morgan, and she was fighting alongside the rest of us." He rubbed his temples again. "It doesn't seem fair that it worked out that way. But God help me, Kabal, I can't help but feel glad it was those other kids and not mine." He shook his head furiously and then wiped away an errant tear. "I truly _am_ going to Hell."

"But I think that's totally understandable," he replied. "I think any normal person would feel that way about their kids surviving." Before Tomas could reply to that, Kabal crossed his arms and asked, "What about Anya's kids? Where are they? Did they make it out okay?"

The cyber-ninja nodded. "For the most part," he said.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Once again, their eyes met. "It means that Samantha and the twins are okay."

"And Olivia?"

"She just got out of surgery herself," he answered. "Her leg was broken. Badly. It's set now and she's resting. Sam said she'll heal her the rest of the way when she's re-charged her batteries, so to speak. Bi-han's with her, I think."

"Where?" he asked. "I want to go check on her."

Tomas pointed down the long hallway around the corner beside him. "Third door down on the right," he said.

Kabal nodded and patted his teammate on the shoulder again. "Let me know if you need me to do anything," he said. When Tomas nodded his agreement, the detective walked down the hall to Olivia's room.

As the cyber-ninja had suspected, Bi-han was there, leaning into the corner opposite Olivia's bed, close to the window. Like Tomas, a few bumps and bruises marred his face, but he clearly had sustained few injuries in the battle. Kabal wasn't particularly surprised; though he didn't know the man terribly well as Bi-han, he _did_ know him as Noob Saibot, and Noob Saibot had been the perfect killer. He sincerely doubted that his miraculous resurrection at Raiden's hands took that quality away from him, especially if Kuai Liang's stories of him were any indication. Kabal silently nodded at the aging Cryomancer before he focused on the hospital bed.

Pillows were strategically placed around Olivia's heavily bandaged leg, propping them up for maximum comfort and circulation. The girl herself was attached to an IV and a morphine pump, dozing, uncovered, with her hands folded neatly across her stomach, drawing in slow and steady breaths. Unlike her ferocious uncle, she _was_ a mess of injuries apart from her leg. If he didn't know any better, Kabal would've said that she'd just been through a car accident. The automatic blood pressure cuff buzzed right as he walked in, and after a moment, her vital signs appeared on a screen above her bed. From what he could tell, everything looked normal.

And then beside her, holding her hand, was someone Kabal was _not_ expecting to see. She had aged as well, but she'd let her once short hair grow out past her shoulders, a smoky and tangled mess of white locks not unlike Olivia's, bringing a more youthful appearance to her middle-aged face. Unlike everyone else that he'd seen so far, however, she didn't have a single injury to speak of, not even a hangnail. He glowered at her at her spot on a chair on the other side of the hospital bed.

"Who let _you_ out of the nuthatch?" he opened as he stepped inside to the bed.

"Excuse me?" she wrinkled her nose and glared at him.

"You're not excused," he breathed and then rested a gloved hand on Olivia's shoulder.

It stirred her awake, though that had not been his intention, and she slowly opened her eyes, blinked, and then looked up at him. A weak smile crossed her lips and she inhaled deeply, faintly saying, "What's up, Special K?" Her voice was hoarse and barely audible.

He smiled back at her, though she couldn't see it. "Well, kid, I heard tell that a major crime took place today, and since I'm a detective and shit, I thought I'd come and do some detecting," he replied. He brushed back her bangs and lightly tousled her head. "You look like hammered shit. How you feeling, girlie?"

"I'm okay," she pitifully croaked.

"What's the big idea, getting hurt in battle?" he chided her, looking down on her face. "Don't you know you're supposed to _duck_?"

"Kabal," Bi-han now said as Olivia's face wrenched into a strained mask that struggled not to cry. In spite of her best efforts, a few tears squeezed out. The cop looked up at the Cryomancer, who was now silently shaking his head no.

He frowned behind his mask, puzzled as to what the silent gesture meant and guilty for making her cry. He looked back to her and gently squeezed her hand. "Hey, kid, I didn't mean nothing by that, I was just teasing you."

"Yeah, well in case you hadn't noticed," Frost began from her chair, "this isn't the time or the place for your jokes."

"Hey, Whore-Frost, shut the fuck up," he shot back.

"My name is _not_ Frost," she growled.

"Oh, did you have it legally changed to the Princess of Darkness?" he shot back.

" _Enough_ ," Bi-han now snapped at them both, taking a dangerous step towards both of them. "This is neither the time nor the place."

Kabal ignored him and Frost and now sat on the corner end of Olivia's bed. "So what happened, kid?" he asked her as he gently squeezed the bare foot on her broken leg. "All I know is that some Outworld General attacked your home. Why?"

The young Cryomancer shrugged. "It's my fault."

He chuckled lightly at that. "Why would you think it's your fault?" he wondered.

She stubbornly shook her head, looked away, and bit her lip. More tears spilled out and now she covered her eyes with her hands so she could hide her crying. "My dad broke my leg," she whimpered. "I pissed off Reiko, and to get even with me, he took my dad from me." And finally, she began to cry audibly.

Kabal recoiled at her statement and then looked up at Bi-han in puzzlement. "What the fuck is she talking about?"

Bi-han sighed. "The Cryomancers summoned them to Outworld recently because Reiko had attacked them and they took him prisoner. While they were there, Reiko escaped and nearly killed my brother. Apparently, when he stabbed him, he cast some sort of magic spell over him - blood magik is what Raiden called it - and it possessed him and somehow made him his slave."

The detective wrinkled his nose in disgust. "So, you're telling me that _Kuai Liang_ did all of this?"

Bi-han met his gaze with cold, blue eyes. "He made the attack possible. Weakened the Temple's defenses so that when the Tarkatan horde came, we were extremely vulnerable." He crossed his arms and looked at his niece, his face softening as he watched her cry. "Olivia confronted Kuai Liang in the portal room, and he almost killed her for it."

Kabal's skin began to prickle like it was on fire. Since boyhood, anger had become his father. His older brother. His only protector. Anger gave him strength and courage and spurred him to always move forward despite always getting things wrong and always failing and no mentor there to help him or teach him and everyone always laughing. Anger delivered him from catastrophe. But _fury_...Fury was what kept him from going under. It had come to be his greatest asset and only strategy. And fury, the lovely fire that roiled and danced across his body, penetrating his skin, and scorching his heart, was what he felt right at that moment.

"That son-of-a-bitch," was the only thing he could think of to say.

Kabal unwittingly clenched his fists, thinking about carving up his old friend with his hookswords. Back in his Black Dragon days, he would've left Olivia's room right that instant to hunt the monster down and put a swift end to his life. It was no less than Kuai Liang deserved after orchestrating the slaughter of his own warriors, his daughter's attempted murder, and his wife's fling with death. He would've probably even taken out the Grandmaster for free. Back then, Kabal didn't have much of a code beyond his own glaring self-interest, but even _he_ drew the line at murdering innocent women and children, and he would've gladly made people like that suffer. He was very different than Kano, in that respect.

But now, as a man who'd made a 180 turnaround with his life, who unexpectedly found joy serving people rather than stealing from them, Kabal clenched his fists as if he was going to storm out and hunt his old friend down...and then he sighed and looked from Bi-han to Olivia. He patted her foot and then squeezed it again to reassure her.

"Hey, kid, we'll get it all figured out," he tried to soothe her. "Hey, look at me," he commanded when she continued to cry into her hand. "Look at me," he urged, his tone more gentle now. Finally, she wiped her face and slowly swiveled it around to face him. "Hey, there she is," he said brightly and playfully pinched her toes. "I'm gonna do whatever it takes to help you get your dad back. Do you believe me?"

Olivia halfheartedly smiled. "Yeah," she croaked.

"Good," he replied. "You don't call me Special K for nothing."

* * *

Kailyn and the children were off tending to the wounded and Anya was well into surgery when Bi-han came to Tomas in a smaller conference room, scowling thoughtfully as he always did. "Tomas," he said in a quiet but firm voice. "We need to discuss what comes next."

The Enenra stood by the window, looking out onto the bustling base outside. Under General Blade's orders, the soldiers were scurrying to and fro, readying for war. Transport trucks and Jeeps rolled by slowly and with a dull roar. Soon, they would be loaded with supplies and ready to line up in a convoy to wherever the battle would take them. He was fairly impressed with how urgently these men and women moved. Sonya had trained them well.

"I have no need to decide anything," he told him, never taking his eyes off the scene outside. "I'm not the Grandmaster. It's not my place."

"You're his second-in-command, Tomas," Bi-han said, his voice hinting at the beginnings of irritation. "As my mother would say, you're up to bat-"

He cut him off. "I said no, Bi-han. General Blade is in charge now."

" _Not_ of the Lin Kuei," he reminded him. Like a tenacious little crocodile fighting for his supper, he thought, he would not let go. "The Lin Kuei take care of our own."

"What are you talking about, Bi-han?" he absently asked. "You haven't been Lin Kuei since before you became Noob Saibot."

He tensed. "Maybe not," he agreed. "But I refuse to see my brother's life's work undone in the course of a day." He noisily exhaled his frustration. "Tomas, you're in shock. Everything...it's all starting to catch up to you."

His eyes snapped around and found him. "Is that what you think?" His voice was a whip.

Bi-han was unimpressed. "Yes, I do," he calmly replied.

"Many of my people are broken and dying, Bi-han, and my home is utterly destroyed. And all of this is because of Kuai Liang. I'm amused by your refusal to see his life's work undone in a day because you already _have_. He tore down his own Temple brick by brick."

"It wasn't _him_ ," the Cryomancer argued. "It was Reiko. Somehow, he has a hold over Kuai Liang, and is pulling his strings like some kind of puppet. You _know_ him, Tomas. You know how much the Temple means to him. He was proud to make it his home. He worked hard to make it feel that way to everyone. You know why."

Tomas took his time answering before he sighed and swallowed hard. "Yes," he finally agreed and then looked out the window again. "I think I finally understand, Bi-han. I never really understood before, but I think I do now."

"Understand what?"

"How Kuai Liang must've felt all those years ago when you died and became Noob Saibot, and I was captured and automated. I think I understand that now." His cybernetic blue eyes met Bi-han's icy ones. "He must've felt so betrayed." He blinked, nodded, and looked at his old friend again. "Yes, betrayed." His voice was barely a whisper. "Angry...Helpless…" His gaze turned back to the soldiers working so industriously, just like a well-oiled machine. "Sad."

"Tomas-"

"Most of all, I think he must've been scared," he interrupted.

Bi-han inhaled deeply and crossed his arms. "Are you scared, Tomas?" His tone was gentle, not rude, and the cyber-ninja nodded.

"Yes," he admitted and then scoffed. "It's funny, Bi-han. Kuai Liang made me his second-in-command without a moment's thought. He just...kicked Cyrax out of that spot and pushed me right on in." He bitterly laughed. "It never truly occurred to me that someday, I might be called upon to actually lead the Lin Kuei. To serve as the Grandmaster - as the interim, of course." Now he sighed. "Whenever I thought of the future, Kuai Liang was always in it. So what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Lead his people," the other said. "That's what he expected of you."

"Livy is supposed to be the next Grandmaster."

"She's not even close to ready for that responsibility, and you know it," Bi-han retorted. "She's not even ready to be a Master yet. She's a good warrior, but she still has much to learn. And this is a moot point anyway because she is laying in that infirmary, doped to the gills at the moment, because her own father snapped her leg like a twig. I don't think I need to tell you the kind of emotional torment she's battling right now, to say nothing of the physical constraints."

"Samantha is working to heal her," he argued.

"Samantha is _exhausted_ and drained," Bi-han replied. "Furthermore, she's not nearly as skilled or as strong in her powers as Anya is yet. There's only so much she can do." He shook his head and sighed again. "Tomas, it _has_ to be you."

The Enenra shook his head regretfully. "I know," he agreed. "God help me, I know." He looked at his friend again. "I'll try my best to do what Kuai Liang would do."

The Cryomancer shook his head. "No, you can't," he said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Bi-han?" he demanded to know, his irritation flaring.

"Think about it, Tomas," he replied. "Kuai Liang is Reiko's slave. You have to assume that every strategy he's ever developed for the Lin Kuei belongs to Reiko now. You can't do what Kuai Liang would do. Reiko will expect it. You're going to have to devise an entirely different system, otherwise it'll be another massacre against our people, and the next time, we might not be so lucky."

Tomas frowned and looked back at the soldiers. "No, we might not."

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, why on earth would I ever allow such a thing to happen? ;)**

 **Daniel Barga, both brothers turned evil definitely would be hard to beat! I enjoyed that chapter of MK11, except for the part where he had to share it with Scorpion and then Scorpion got yet another chapter all to himself. Screw that! Anyway, thank you!**

 **Persistence, thank you so much! You flatter me. I'm glad that you're enjoying them so much. I'm gradually starting to edit them, which will probably take a while. But slowly but surely LOL**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, I'm officially adopting "dynamic douches" into my lexicon LOL As for their nefarious schemes, well, you'll see what they're all up to.**

 **en-lumine, LOL no worries, I know you're busy :) And thank you for your kind praise. It made me smile when I got your notification in my inbox. As for Xinyi and Jiayi, I have no opinion - but hopefully, this chapter answered your question as to their whereabouts. And yes, Kenshi is alive in this, unlike MK11, that for some reason went and killed him off. :(**


	14. Coming Around Again

**Author's Note: My apologies getting this damn chapter written and uploaded. I just noticed it's been nearly two months since I last updated. I blame it on just being really busy this summer. Actually, it's really because writing fight scenes is immensely challenging, and if I get distracted in any way, shape, or form, it's all over for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I'd love to know what you think!**

* * *

Following the directions of the Edenian scouting party, Reiko and his allies silently closed in on the Fire Gardens, the sacred home of the Shirai Ryu and the place where the General would find his prize. As he had in Arctika, he took care to eliminate the yellow-clad warriors patrolling the territory so nobody could warn the Grandmaster of his impending doom. The army traveled on foot in silence, moving as quietly as they could; the Tarkatans possessed many strengths, but stealth was not high on that list. Around them were forty Edenians, the most that could be spared for this particular mission. And at the head of the slowly advancing forces walked the General himself, accompanied by his minions, Rain and Sub-Zero, and Havik, his lips and fingers moving in eldritch incantations. It was a simple spell - one to cloak the company in a thick mist under a rainy sky, making them all but invisible in the damp haze - but extending it over an entire army at once, while on the move, was proving tricky for the ancient Cleric. Despite their difficulties, they grew ever closer to the Temple, step by soft and careful step. Until Reiko, peering intently through the fog, finally managed to get his first glimpse of what lay ahead.

He'd known the enemy forces were numerous - the scouts' reports had been explicit on that point, to say nothing of his knowledge from his last visit to attack the Shirai Ryu - but it still came as something of a jolt to see so many adults and children scattered around the tiny valley. Without actually taking the time to count, he estimated that roughly one hundred of the yellow-clad warriors were fully grown men, and almost twice that were children and teenagers, all of them diligently training in various spots around the Temple proper. Reiko estimated at least another hundred adults were inside either the Temple or the sprawling cavern in the cliff wall behind it where Scorpion once housed his men.

"Thoughts, General?" Rain, who now stood at his left side, asked.

"Until we know otherwise," Reiko replied, "we will operate under the assumption that these are _not_ the only Shirai Ryu in the region. This place is more vulnerable than Arctika was, so I doubt we will encounter a prolonged engagement, however I want you to establish a perimeter guard if we _are_ drawn into one. I do _not_ want to be surprised by the other Earthrealm Champions."

"I thought much the same," the Hydromancer replied. "We must also prevent them from calling for assistance like they did in Arctika."

"Agreed," Reiko said. He now looked at Sub-Zero, who had remained completely silent - a side effect of the Blood Magik - to his right. "We should hit them from all sides," he said to his slave. "We must keep them from setting up any defensive lines or organizing to resist us in unity." He narrowed his eyes and focused them on the Cryomancer's blue ones. "Let none survive, Kuai Liang," he told him. "Kill everyone. And I want you to personally stop them from calling the other Earthrealm Champions for help. You have the greatest knowledge of Earthrealm technology, my friend. Do _not_ fail me."

"It will be done as you have commanded," the Grandmaster robotically replied.

"Good." He smiled a faint but wolfish grin as he looked back on the valley below. "Rain, divide the army into four units to attack from each direction. I want you, Kuai Liang, and Havik to lead them in order to keep the Shirai Ryu distracted."

"And will you be leading the fourth?"

"For a short time," he replied and then looked at the Hydromancer with an impish grin. "My work is far too important and I will be fighting as little as possible. But when we reach the heart of the valley, I trust you three to handle the warriors who remain while I find Earthrealm's kamidogu."

Rain bristled at that, but said nothing more on the matter.

Now Reiko looked forward again. "Gentlemen, we outnumber the Shirai Ryu, but do _not_ make the mistake of underestimating them in combat. They are extremely adept, taught and led by one of the most ferocious warriors Earthrealm ever produced. Even the children should be treated as an extreme threat." He paused, looked from Rain to Sub-Zero, and back to the valley again. "And keep Scorpion away from me. I do not need to be distracted by him as I look for my prize. _Kill_ him."

His men nodded and then went to divide up the army as Reiko instructed. Meanwhile, the General looked at his Cleric. "My patience is running thin, Havik. I need her back."

"As you well know, my friend, I must wait for the proper time to cast the spell," the other replied. "The stars have to be in a specific alignment-"

"Yes, yes," he waved his hand in annoyance. "I know all of that. Just do it."

Havik bowed his head in acquiescence then joined the others to begin their attack.

* * *

The sun, obscured by the cloud cover like it was, began to set by the time all four units were in position and ready to march onto the Shirai Ryu Temple, but it scarcely mattered. Two of the greatest warriors in all the Realms, joined by a Chaosrealm Cleric and arguably one of the best Generals ever to have lived, laid siege to an army of warriors that never stood a chance to begin with. Magical energies and mystic powers blasted through Scorpion's forces as the Tarkatan horde surged over the valley like a swarm of deadly locusts. Around the edges, the Shirai Ryu foolish enough to stray from their comrades found themselves peppered into chunks by volley after volley from the ranks of the Edenians manning the war engines. Unable to fire back - naturally, none of these fighters, who were mostly children, were equipped with any sort of a gun or cannon of their own - they ran for shelter within the shallow ravines that crisscrossed the plain only to die quick deaths.

The Tarkatans' armswords, which had been decorated in various colorful patterns and carvings, sliced through flesh as easily as parchment. Sub-Zero's kori warhammer whirled in murderous arcs, detonating anything unfortunate enough to meet with the blunt head it boasted on one side, often piercing two or three Shirai Ryu at a time with the bill on the other. Rain wielded his storm sword with deadly precision, often interjecting his powers into the battle to lift men in the air in a bubble of water, letting them drown midair before releasing them. Havik casually walked through the melee, swinging his morning star at people's heads, crumpling them in like a tin can, and moaning in immense pleasure every time one of the yellow-clad warriors got lucky enough to wound him back.

The ground was damp and slippery, equal parts mud and blood. The Shirai Ryu, particularly the younger, inexperienced ones who'd yet to set foot on a battlefield, stumbled about like newborn deer first learning to walk. Rain coldly watched a teenager stumble over a corpse, his tabi boots sliding and churning the earth, and for a moment the Hydromancer merely shook his head in disbelief at how inexperienced the boy was. By the time he was this age, he'd already participated in three separate battles against Cryomancer raiders. He quickly cut the boy down with his storm sword then lifted his weapon over his head and shouted, "For Edenia!" Other Edenian voices took up the cry, rallying his countrymen to fight ever harder.

Reiko, elsewhere in the battle, dropped the point of his scythe at the last possible second and drove a lance formed from the ether through the chest of a man in a yellow tunic, lifting him completely off his feet until at last, he let it collapse and he tumbled to the ground. He gave him no extra thought as he stepped over his corpse and towards a small child who stood in the middle of the melee, crying. The General saw through his flesh and organs to the soul that glowed in hues of green in his vision, and watched his heart rapidly pump blood through his body. _Innocent_ was his first thought, but _easy target_ ran a close second. Quickly, he stretched forth his powers and, with a simple flick of his wrist, he stole the boy's soul and was already drinking in the intoxicating and rejuvenating energy of youth before he continued on his path to the Temple.

At the same time Reiko was sucking the life from the five-year-old, a spear thudded against Havik's shield, but he scarcely noticed. He stalked towards the heart of the valley as well, slashing down at every foe he passed with his morning star. Dimly, he heard cheers from the Shirai Ryu further inside the battlefield when their beloved Grandmaster Hanzo set numerous Tarkatans on fire with a single, hellish breath. In response, Havik charged over a yellow-clad archer, opened a spearman from shoulder to armpit with one of his many knives, and smashed a man in the face with all the weight of his morning star and arm and charging body. He took off half the man's head. The shock of the blow sent pleasurable jolts through his body, and he groaned like a man embraced by the arms of a beautiful woman.

But Sub-Zero felt nothing but surging power as he paused for a moment and watched the scene unfold around him. Shirai Ryu were crawling up the river, men burned and bleeding, coughing up water, staggering, most dying. He led his unit onto them, delivering quick deaths to those who could not stand, with those who could running from his creeping ice. They seemed little things, to him, fearful and weak. One particularly big brute made a stand against him, however, and he easily eviscerated him with a single swipe of a kori sword. Behind him, the Edenians and Tarkatans began to chant " _Cryomancer! Cryomancer!_ " as he stomped on, unmoved by their cries.

* * *

Once Reiko's minions had succeeded in tearing down the Shirai Ryu's defenses, the Fire Gardens were quickly besieged. He wished he could see the look on Scorpion's face as the Tarkatans ravaged his ancient, ancestral homelands just as Quan Chi had done years prior. But the General did not pity the Grandmaster. Behind everyone's bad luck, he knew, was their own stupidity and laziness. Scorpion, for all his prowess as a warrior and teacher, was foolish not to reinforce his defenses when he'd had the chance, and instead had relied once again on the natural obstacles to shield his lands from attack. He was far too trusting. Once more, this trust proved to be his undoing.

Reiko, no longer hindered by any real competition, broke into a run towards the remains of the old Temple built into the cliff face when he cast his locating spell to find the treasure he sought. Drawing deep within, he put on a burst of speed, sprinting faster than he ever had towards the opening. The wall loomed before him, growing ever closer. But Reiko didn't so much as slow. Instead, his scythe sliced through flesh as easily as parchment, whirling in murderous arcs, destroying anyone unfortunate enough to meet its sharp blade. He waded through the thickest of the enemy, letting kunai spears and katanas rebound impotently from his armor. His scythe rose and fell with an almost monotonous precision, leaving only carnage in its wake. It flashed each time fire glinted off its weathered steel.

Just outside the imposing walls of the ancient Temple, the General looked within the shadowy hollows in determination, ignoring the sounds of shrieking and fighting behind him. Years ago, Raiden had entrusted Scorpion with protecting Earthrealm's kamidogu, undoubtedly believing that the Grandmaster could protect it better than any of the other Champions. But his faith in his friend was misplaced. The warrior hadn't created any elaborate wards or spells to deter potential thieves. He'd merely hidden it away in a place no one would think to look. Calmly, Reiko raised both arms to the sky, his eyes sliding shut in concentration, as he focused his thoughts, his mind racing through the rocky caverns and darkened corridors, probing them with his powers, his spell pointing him to one definitive conclusion.

With a wolfish grin, he marched inside.

* * *

" _IN THE NAME OF THE SHIRAI RYU, I WILL KILL YOU, LIN KUEI DOG!_ "

In the midst of the battle, Sub-Zero's head snapped around, hunting the source of that youthful voice, and saw a young man barely more than a teenager appear between two trees. Unlike most of the warriors here who were of one Asian descent or another, this one had black skin stretched over a large, menacing frame bulging with well-defined muscles. Rage twisted his expression into a scowl and made his clenched fists shake uncontrollably. He'd have been infinitely more frustrated to know that his threat didn't so much as phase the Cryomancer.

"My name is Fox," he snarled, "and I will take your head to Grandmaster Hasashi on a platter!"

Sub-Zero now dispassionately watched the young warrior stomp towards him, but he wasted no time forming a kori axe with his powers. Wielding it high over his head, he heaved it down with all the force he could muster to eliminate the threat. His muscles rippled with energy as the weapon sailed on a collision course for Fox's head.

And then, with barely enough time to spare, the Shirai Ryu skirted out of the way and landed to the side just as the axe slammed into the dirt, wedging itself upright. Fox wasted no time throwing a kunai spear back at the Cryomancer, but, having already recovered from his missed shot, Sub-Zero calmly plucked it from its course. His surging blue power immediately raced up the rope as he yanked on it, tugging the warrior straight into his boot. An ugly crunch filled the air. Around them, frozen rope threads broke and glittered to the ground like glass. Fox, meanwhile, stunned by the blow to his chest, crashed onto the ground on his back with a pained groan.

While Sub-Zero marched towards him, the young warrior heaved himself to all fours, grimacing from the fire scorching his lungs. The Cryomancer stepped into a knee strike aimed at the Shirai Ryu's ribs, but was stunned when the young man lashed out with rigid fingers and hit a pressure point on his inner thigh. He immediately dropped to his knee as pain zinged through his nerves. While he was distracted, Fox yanked a katana from his hip and leaped at his enemy from a crouch on the ground.

Once again, Sub-Zero proved too quick for him. Immediately, he leaped to the side as the sword hacked downward and barely missed him a second time. Now the Shirai Ryu growled because his weapon bounced off the ground and accidentally slipped from his fingers. As the warrior scrambled for it, Sub-Zero ran behind his enemy, whirled gracefully around, and sliced into his back muscles with his own kori sword. The young man reared back and punched the Cryomancer in the chest with his other hand.

The air instantly left the Grandmaster's lungs as his old rib injuries from many years prior screamed in protest. He fell into a nearby tree with a hard crack and then slumped to the ground while the man twisted around and booted him in the chest a split second later. Fire crackled through his body and he wheezed and gasped for air. Fox watched him heave in pain and chuckled in satisfaction.

"Do you and your pathetic friends really think you can defeat the Shirai Ryu in our own home?" he sneered. His voice was decidedly deep.

He swung his katana, which he'd already recovered, at the Cryomancer again, but his target quickly rolled out of the way before it hit him. Fox stumbled forward and groaned, startled by his opponent's lithe movements, but was not so stunned that he didn't see the ball of glowing blue energy flying towards his head. He caught the ice ball with his blade like a batter hitting a home run. Suddenly, a pained howl escaped him as a blue-white frost instantly consumed the weapon and frostbit his hands. Instantly, his katana shattered like glass.

Infuriated, Fox charged after the Cryomancer again, but at the last possible second, Sub-Zero leaped into the air and kicked him in the back. Though the blow didn't have enough momentum to hurt him, it had enough force to make his enemy flail into a tree. He roared like a lion as he whirled around to face him, and then he lunged at him. This time, Sub-Zero threw his hand and all his powers towards the Shirai Ryu. Immediately, his cryogenic energy became an icy spear that lodged itself so hard into Fox's ribs that it pinned him to the tree trunk like a moth in an entomologist's box. The warrior groaned as his hands wrapped around the makeshift weapon. Blood bloomed at the corners of his mouth and trickled like little rivers down his chin.

Sub-Zero, meanwhile, had already wrapped his icy hands around his victim's neck and let his powers flow into his body. Instantly, the Cryomancer felt the man's skin turn to a thick layer of bluish ice, and he punched him directly in the chest. The ice shattered beneath his knuckles and gave way to his heart and lungs, both of which immediately solidified into blocks of ice that exploded underneath his fist's powerful momentum. In less than a second, his hand broke through the man's spine and back, but Fox was long dead by then.

Emotionless, he backed away from his kill, but then a column of flames exploded behind him a moment before a sharp weapon raced through the air and plunged through his thick blue tunic. With a violent jerk, it yanked him backward.

"Get over here!" a demonic voice roared as Sub-Zero flailed helplessly along on the rope like a fish on a hook. Quickly, a kori sword formed in his hands and he chopped through the cord. His body rolled to a stop at the feet of his attacker.

Above him was a very familiar figure clad in the black and yellow ninja garb of the Shirai Ryu. His face was free of its mask but shrouded by a thick beard, and faint wrinkles and lines had begun to form at the edges of his eyes. Fire burned within them, begging to be set free.

"Kuai Liang, what have you done?" he demanded to know. If the Cryomancer had some semblance of feeling left in his heart, he would've heard the unmistakable sadness and disappointment in his old friend's voice. But there was nothing, only the mission. _Reiko's_ mission. And his heart was unmoved.

Without a word, he did a kip-up and poised to fight the Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu. Apparently recognizing that his friend was lost to him, Scorpion threw another kunai blade at Sub-Zero, but this time the Cryomancer dove to the side and sprayed a cloud of ice crystals at his attacker. Small like glittering diamond chips, the shards of ice were razor sharp and abundant. Yet the Grandmaster calmly threw up his arms in response, and as he did a wall of fire burst from the ground and shielded him. The ice melted instantly, evaporating into steam and wafting through the air on a thick cloud of smoke.

Sub-Zero's elusion of the fire didn't bother Scorpion, though, who jumped into a backwards spin kick that caught the Cryomancer in the face. An explosion of white hot stars rained through his eyes as he collapsed to the ground in a heap, but he didn't waste time before he did yet another kip-up. As his vision cleared, he stepped into a roundhouse kick to the ribs that forced the Shirai Ryu to stumble backwards a bit. While his enemy was off balance, Sub-Zero back-fisted him across his jaw, breaking a tooth as a spurt of blood exploded over Hanzo's lips. Wasting no time, he then threw another punch straight into the other's eye orbit.

But before he landed his punch, Scorpion grabbed his wrist and wrenched it around. With lightning fast reflexes, he coiled his arm around Sub-Zero's, locking his opponent's elbow at a weird angle before he clasped his fingers around his neck, jerked him down, and kneed him in the face. Then he threw him to the ground with a determined grunt. The Shirai Ryu now charged towards his body on the ground, but the Cryomancer was ready for him. He drew his legs to his chest, and when Scorpion was in range, he mule-kicked him in the shins. His attacker immediately cried out in pain as he stumbled backwards, giving Sub-Zero time to jump to his feet and side-kick the warrior in the kidney.

Scorpion coughed and sucked down air, clawing at his chest as he collapsed and tried to breathe again. The Cryomancer used the opportunity to lunge at him with his newly formed kori sword to stab him through the chest, but Hanzo immediately rolled out of the way. As the sharp blade bounced off dirt, he swept Sub-Zero off his feet and then drove his elbow to his face. As he then leaped to his feet, kipping up, he threw a fireball at his enemy. The Cryomancer promptly dodged it, and neither warrior cared when it hit a tree and lit it up like a candle. To avoid the attack, Sub-Zero fell backwards through his icy portal, emerging on the other side of him to sucker punch him. But Scorpion was not fooled. He caught the Cryomancer by the tunic with his katanas and effortlessly flung him towards the fire.

With a frustrated grunt, Sub-Zero recovered his balance and rushed Scorpion, throwing a punch that the other easily deflected. Now he threw a reverse punch followed by a front snap kick. This time, Hanzo caught his foot and shoved him back before he gracefully stepped into a backward spin kick that sent the other flying. Relentlessly, he followed and threw his own punch that the Cryomancer blocked. Then Sub-Zero grabbed Scorpion's arm and twisted it behind him until he had him caught in a bear hug. With a furious shout of his own, the Shirai Ryu ran backwards with his enemy on his shoulder, and drove him into the first hard thing he could: a tree.

The Cryomancer undoubtedly expected to die at his old friend's hands, so when Scorpion backed away uneasily, hesitating to kill him, he stared at him blankly with his lost, blue eyes. Clearly, Hanzo thought a mutual understanding had passed between them, and perhaps he'd even reached him, so when Sub-Zero unexpectedly sucker-punched him in the jaw, he was totally caught off guard.

As he fell to the ground, pain surged through his face. But the other wasn't done. Scorpion started to kip-up, but the Cryomancer stopped him when he stomped on his opponent's chest and pressed him down into the ground while he twirled his kori sword gracefully over his head and around his body. When he finally acted, he plunged his weapon straight down. It plunged high into Scorpion's chest with a loud squelch and a large splatter of blood. Hanzo's eyes bulged in surprise and pain, but they quickly rolled into the back of his head and slid shut. A single tear rolled from the innermost corner.

Sub-Zero studied the man for a second, convinced he was dead, and for a moment, his soul flexed in a strange, uncomfortable way that he didn't particularly like. But it was gone as fast as it had come, and he had already moved on, this time to find Reiko.

When he was gone, Hanzo, in immense pain, opened his eyes and managed to drag his hands to a pocket within his yellow robes. His fingers weakly brushed against the hard casing and slowly curled around the rectangular shape, pulling it out. It was his satellite phone. His vision faded in and out and he groaned as he began pressing numbers to call for help. All the while, he inwardly prayed to the Elder Gods that help would find him before it was too late.

* * *

Within the ancient Temple, a perfectly geometric octagon dais awaited him, and on it stood a throne decorated with scores of finely carved scorpions. Reiko remembered this place, he mused as he crossed the room and sat upon it for a minute. This was where he'd fought and distracted Scorpion while Skarlet stormed through, questing for the young Takeda. He'd beaten the Grandmaster soundly, and only let him live so that he could deliver his message to the Earthrealm Champions. The General sat on that throne for a moment, pondering that afternoon, but then he quickly decided the seat was quite uncomfortable and hastily got to his feet again.

Directly across from the dais and the throne was the _real_ thing that interested him anyway. Looming above him was a larger-than-life scorpion chipped completely from onyx with eight crab-like legs and bulbous, threatening claws as big as he was. The tail sharply curved over its body and abruptly ended in a stinger that easily could've made a decent scythe for one of his weapons. All told, it was an impressive statute, but it was a twin pair of amber eyes nestled into its impenetrable armor that called to him. One eye in particular set his nerves into anxious tingles as his locating spell alerted him to the kamidogu's presence.

Reiko approached the massive scorpion statue at a casual pace, and as he moved, he sensed the beating heartbeat of Earthrealm's kamidogu steadily growing stronger as he got closer to the gigantic amber eye. He noticed that, imprisoned within the eight polished gemstones, there were _real_ scorpions colored beige and black. The amber hiding the secret compartment didn't swing open to allow ingress; rather, it faded almost completely from sight when the General touched it with his magical powers, leaving only a wavering mirage in its place. As best he could describe the sensation of passing through those phantom bars, it felt like reaching through a waterfall without getting wet.

He tsked at the ease of retrieving this sacred artifact, even as his fingers curled around the stone blade and carefully pulled it from its hole.

"My, my, Scorpion," he quietly said to himself as he looked at the dagger, which was wrapped haphazardly in an old cloth. "I'm very disappointed in you."

Now, he was suddenly alerted to the presence of someone new, but without looking, he could sense his identity. "How do our forces fare, Kuai Liang?" he softly asked before he faced his slave and smiled a dangerous grin.

"We have defeated the Shirai Ryu," he reported.

"And what of your old friend? What of Hanzo Hasashi?"

"He is dead," he said. "I killed him."

"You have done well," he praised the Cryomancer. Then he held up Earthrealm's kamidogu for him to see. "But I'm afraid our work is not done. Our _next_ enemies won't be so easily defeated. Are you up to the challenge?"

"I am," he replied. His voice was quite empty and robotic, Reiko thought. He preferred it this way.

"Good," he smiled, now curling his fist around his prize. "I have turned my sights to Netherrealm."

* * *

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, I enjoyed MK11 well enough, but I had a lot of bones of contention with it. I'm just really upset that they made Sub-Zero share his chapter with Scorpion, and then they gave Scorpion a _second_ chapter of his own. WTF?! Also, the story was a little iffy. Time travel? Really? It felt like a huge cop-out to erase the mistakes Ed Boon and company made with MK9 when they killed off most of the characters in their reboot. **

**DannyPhantom619, totally tubular, dude ;)**

 **Esha Napoleon, thank you!**

 **ROCuevas, and thank God for that. I hated the idea that they killed Kenshi like that.**

 **Westcoast Witchdoctor, oh, yeah, the face-off between Subby and Kabal is going to be tense. At least, that's my _plan_ for it. I'm glad you liked the part with Bi-han and Tomas. I kind of wanted to show how Tomas felt now that the tables were turned. And yes, I've used "Dynamic Douches" several times since then, and I've leveled it at several of my inmates when they want to flood my tier with toilet water. **

**SpinoGuy Productions, I'm glad to see your reviews, and I'm very flattered you think that way. I, too, got annoyed with the same old tropes done terribly. So I've worked very hard to make them realistic and relatable, and treat them in a way most won't treat OCs. Do I always succeed? I'm sure I've made plenty of mistakes. But I think they've come out pretty well throughout the years. I'm glad you like the idea of making Sub-Zero the antagonist - albeit unwillingly. It just seemed like a great way to turn the happy family on their head. And Smoke in charge? You and I are both going to be equally surprised by what antics ensue from that. Thanks again for the lovely reviews :)**


	15. Kabal

**Author's Note: I'm sorry it's been _sooooo_ long since I've updated. I just became crippled with writer's block and needed to take a break from _Monster_. So I worked on my original novel instead. But now I need a break from that so I felt ready to pick up _Monster_ again. I find that taking a break from one is occasionally a good thing because it helps me get back on track. Thank you to everyone who reached out and wanted to know if I was okay. I hope you all had a lovely holiday season. Now, onto the chapter. One of the things that helps me get out of a rut is switching to a different character's perspective, so that's why this chapter is all from Kabal's point of view. I kind of wanted to accomplish a few things with him, but one of those things was showing him actually working as a detective. So, let me know what you think!**

* * *

It took Kabal longer than expected to see Anya after she emerged from surgery because Tomas and Kailyn went to her room and sat for a while. In that time, the detective met up again with Stryker, and together, the two of them interviewed the survivors in an effort to construct a timeline of events. Both men agreed that it would probably amount to nothing, but some significant clues _could_ emerge from canvassing. So they compiled dozens of witness statements, and when that work was done, and everyone had vacated Anya's room, Kabal snuck in to see her.

He scarcely recognized her, though. They'd shaved most - if not all - of her head, but the thick layers of gauze and padding around her head obscured her baldness as well as whatever incisions they'd made in her skull. Several small wires trailed from tiny pads beneath and around the bandages and her hospital gown to monitors mounted in the wall behind her bed. Those wires twisted in messy heaps like spaghetti across her body and across the overstuffed pillows strategically placed around her to keep her laying semi-upright.

Her face, however, was what really drew his attention. The gentle oval shape of it was a full moon marred by bruises and abrasions. An ugly gash cut a jagged 'c' from her nose through her cheek, and it had been closed up with tiny butterfly stitches. The skin on either side of the wound was swollen and angry red. They'd shoved a feeding tube down her nostril, a ventilator down her throat, and an IV up her arm, all of which tethered her to space-age machines on the far side of her bed. She looked so small - so _helpless_ \- laying in her hospital bed, her appearance a far cry from the beautiful, vibrant image of her forever seared into his memory.

Behind his mask, Kabal's face wrenched in anguish. Anya deserved better than this.

Inhaling deeply to calm himself, he peeled off his gloves and then carefully threaded his scarred fingers through hers before he finally sat on the edge of the bed beside her. With his free hand, he tossed aside one of the pillows to make room for his ass. Then he just looked at her for a while, soaking in how horrible she looked right now, daydreaming about killing Kuai Liang for doing this to her, no matter how inadvertently. And, as God was his witness, he'd _make_ his old teammate pay for what he'd done.

"Hey, Girlie," he finally spoke after a long moment spent in uncomfortable silence. "The doc told us you're still in a coma," he continued, his raspy voice barely louder than a whisper. "He said that we should talk to you because you might be able to hear us. I don't know if that's true or not, but if it _is_ true, I kind of thought I'd try to make it easier on you." He cleared his throat and squeezed her hand tighter. "I thought maybe you're too weak to hear me right now, so maybe it'd be easier if you _felt_ me instead."

Now Kabal thought about his words, scoffed, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Anya," he apologized. "That is _not_ how I meant it. That came out sounding terrible. I meant that…" he trailed off and then smiled. "Well, you know how I meant it."

He deeply sighed and then let his masked chin sag to his chest. "I know I haven't seen you in a while," he said. "Not since that New Year's Eve party at Jax's farm, what was it, three years ago?" Kabal frowned behind his mask as he did the math in his head. "Damn, sweetheart, that's a long time. Sure flew by, didn't it? I was still dating Shelby at the time. Remember her? You and her had quite a bit of Johnny's secret family eggnog that night and got a little wasted together." He chuckled under his breath and gazed out into the distance, the memory of them giggling like little girls burning brightly in his mind. "It was good to see you guys like that, especially after all that trouble Livy got into. I like seeing you laugh, you know?"

He looked at her, wistfully smiled, and then cupped his free hand over his other one and hers. "I don't know if you ever heard but...she dumped me," he began, and then he scoffed again at the remembered pain. They'd been together a couple years, long enough for him to start entertaining the notion of popping the question to her, before she decided to move out.

"Can't say as I blame her," he continued. "There was this guy, you see, Kobra. I, uh, I recruited him to the Black Dragon. You know, back when I was still running with them?" He cleared his throat. "Anyways, the FBI caught him and dragged me in to testify against him. No big deal, you know, except the thing is, I never told Shelby about my past. I never told her I used to be Black Dragon. As far as I'm concerned, _that_ Kabal is dead, and she didn't need to know he ever existed to begin with. It would just hurt her to know that I was a gun runner and mercenary for hire, so I just...I just went with it...and I thought I was doing pretty good keeping it from her...I made up this whole lie of a life to keep it from her. Told her I got napalmed by some gangbangers, and that's why I'm so attractive now. It just made sense at the time. How was I supposed to tell her about Kintaro and Kano and Outworld and you guys and shit?"

Kabal sighed heavily and then squeezed Anya's hand tighter, perhaps to reassure and comfort himself. "Anyway, the feds called me in to testify against Kobra because he and his shyster lawyers were trying to get out of some organized crime charges by saying he wasn't Black Dragon. I didn't tell Shelby all that, I just let her think I had to go testify because I was one of the detectives who'd investigated him. Didn't work out so well. One of her friends was one of Kobra's attorneys, and she told her about my oh-so-sordid past. Shelby did _not_ take it well…" He chuffed behind his mask. "Well, obviously," he said after a long moment. "Turns out women don't like being lied to, and _especially_ about shit like that. Who knew?" He bitterly chuckled.

Now he pulled Anya's hand to his chest and pressed it there while he absently traced a scarred finger around the bruises on her battered forearm. "I know what you're probably saying, sweetheart," he finally said. "I should've been honest. You don't have to beat me over the head with that, I know I fucked up." Once more, he sighed. "At least with you, you already knew from the get-go what I was, what I'd done. You knew I was a hired goon from the start…" He trailed off and then shook his head. "It didn't matter to you, though. It didn't matter…"

Kabal sat there in thoughtful silence for a moment before he carefully lifted his outermost mask over his head, revealing his hideously scarred face and the tiny mask shoving air into his nose. And now he kissed her hand. "I suppose it's for the best that Shelby left," he told her, and his raspy voice, devoid of the mask muffling the sound of it, sounded strange and harsh to his ears. "She was a good woman, you know, but my heart's probably always gonna be stuck on you. And that's not fair to her."

He kissed her hand again and then gently rubbed her forearm. "I think your kids are gonna be just fine, Anya, so you don't need to worry about them," he told her. "We're taking turns looking out for them. Poor Sammie is running herself ragged, but I think she was finally able to heal Livy for you. She's being a little trooper about it, but I know she'll be relieved when you wake up and can help her out. All your kids will, but especially her." He smiled at her.

Kabal sat in silence for a moment, contemplating just how fast life was moving along, so fast that even he couldn't keep up with it, and then his thoughts shifted to Kuai Liang once more. "I just want you to know that I'm going after your polar bear, Anya, and I'm going to fuck him up royally for what he did to you and everyone in the Temple." He winced as he thought of the Tarkatans swarming through Arctika like so many locusts, killing everything in their path. "I know that if you were awake, you'd probably be begging me not to, and trying to convince me to help him because he's in trouble right now. But I don't care. And I don't care if you're mad at me for it. It needs to be done. I'm sick of him just…"

Kabal trailed off, somehow unable to articulate all the hatred and resentment he felt for Kuai Liang for stealing Anya before the detective even got a chance with her, for marrying her, for having kids with her, for building a life with her, a life that should have been _his_. He frowned and then nervously chuckled and said, "Well, I'm just sick of _him_."

Now he looked at Anya, who hadn't moved a single muscle since he'd first entered her room, and slid off the edge of her bed before he leaned over and planted a gentle kiss at the corner of her nose, just as close to her lips as possible. Inwardly, he cursed the ventilator covering her mouth right now. But hopefully, somewhere in her brain, wherever she was lost in her own sea of thoughts and memories, she sensed his love for her through that little kiss regardless. When he pulled away, he smiled and cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Hey, Girlie, I don't suppose when you'd wake up you'd dump the dodo and finally get with a real man, would you?" he all but whispered, afraid to ask her louder than that. "I mean, I may not be a looker, but you know I've got it where it counts." He bitterly chuckled at his own joke, knowing deep down that she'd never leave Kuai Liang, no matter what the fool did. "Well, just think it over anyway," he told her before he now kissed her cheek and finally withdrew.

Just at that moment, klaxons began to shriek throughout the base as red alarms started to flash. Immediately, doctors and soldiers sprinted down the hallway and out of the hospital wing. Frowning, Kabal lowered his mask over his face and looked once more at Anya. "Hold that thought, sweetheart," he said before he, too, took off running.

He quickly shoved his way through a sea of people until he reached the giant hangar housing the portal. It was open, he saw, with the vortex burrowing to an idyllic forest landscape, but the forest was on fire. Data streamed into the base computers on massive screens flanking either side of the portal.

"What the hell is going on?" he yelled at Sonya, who was barking orders at her underlings on the dais in front of the portal.

"The Shirai Ryu base was just attacked," Kenshi answered him as he joined his side. "Scorpion sent a distress signal."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he replied. "Let's go!"

"We don't know if we're walking into a trap," the blind swordsman as he grabbed Kabal's arm to stop him from charging forward. "We need to be patient until we have a clearer idea of what we're walking into."

"Oh, yeah, that's a good idea," he said, relaxing for a moment. "I didn't even think about that."

Kenshi loosened his grip just enough for him to break free and dash towards the portal anyway. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the threshold into Japan, the sound of his old friend's indignant cries fading behind him. At the top of the hill overlooking the Temple, Kabal stopped to gauge the danger. As far as he could tell, the invaders were gone now, but the valley was burned, and dozens lay dead on the ground. Immediately, he punched buttons on his wrist-comm.

"Ft. Albany, this is Kabal. It looks like the enemy is gone," he reported. "I'm going in now to look for survivors."

"No, goddammit, you wait!" Sonya barked on the other end. "I will _court-martial_ you, Kabal, so help me God!"

"I'm not one of your lap dogs, General," he replied. "Now you can either follow me or let these people die, but I wouldn't take long deciding because this was a fucking massacre."

"Kabal!"

He pressed the button again and silenced her.

Before him, entire swaths of trees had fallen, cut down by potent magic and brutal weaponry. Splintered wood and tattered leaves, churned soil and scorched earth, stretched to the towering cliff wall that naturally barricaded the eastern side of the Shirai Ryu lands. He could smell the blood through his mask, still wet and seeping into the dirt, but he didn't need to; he _felt_ the death in the air, hanging over him like a filthy blanket. Twisted helixes of smoke wafted upward, each tendril struggling to be the first to touch the sky. Flurries of cinders still snowed down, and Kabal was struck by the thick aroma of burnt wood and seared flesh.

"Scorpion!" he bellowed, wondering if the Grandmaster. "Scorpion!" he called again, but there was no answer. "Goddammit," he cursed and began to jog.

He dashed from the copse of trees through blasted clearings, smoldering wounds in the bucolic forest, then closer to the Temple. So far, he saw no survivors, only the bodies of the Shirai Ryu mingled with those from Outworld. More than a few, he couldn't help but notice, had been frozen where they stood, when they hadn't been smashed into a thousand pieces like glass. For a few more moments, he ran over crunching leaves and sticks that popped under his heavy boots like the joints of an arthritic grandparent.

"Scorpion!" he yelled again, and this time he was answered.

"Here," a weak voice croaked.

Kabal scanned his surroundings again, his eyes fluttering over the piles of bodies on the ground, and this time saw a battered arm reach for him like a fresco by Michelangelo. He stepped lightly over the corpses as he made way to the survivor. Not far from the base of the older stone Temple, he found the Grandmaster.

"Fuck," he muttered as he took in the sight.

The greatest warrior the Shirai Ryu ever produced laid flat on his back on the ground with his hands wrapped around a large kori sword jutting from his chest, gripping it so tightly that the blade had cracked and the sharp edges had ripped through his palms. It steadily drained down the melting ice and smeared it with gore that joined the growing puddle on his chest. His face was ghastly white, drained of all its normal color. Vicious gouges marred the flesh from forehead to cheek on both sides. More blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Save the others," he wheezed.

"I didn't see any others," Kabal replied as he knelt by his old teammate. It was the entirely wrong answer, he quickly realized as Scorpion wrenched his face in grief. "I'll keep looking," he hastily added. "I just got here. The others are right behind me."

"Reiko did this," he breathed. "Sub-Zero was with him."

That Scorpion was conscious, let alone cognizant and rational, was more than enough to impress the former mercenary. "What were they after?" he asked, the detective in him coming alive. "What were they looking for?"

The Grandmaster coughed up a bubble of clotted blood. "Earthrealm's kamidogu."

Kabal recoiled at that, frowning, just as a distant female voice shouted _CLEAR!_ at someone. He looked over his shoulder and saw a squadron of Sonya's soldiers, including her elite team commanded by her daughter, sweep through the area with their guns aimed to fire. But at the General's declaration, they lowered their weapons and began looking through the corpses littered across the field for survivors. Takeda was with them, he saw, and as soon as their eyes met, the boy was racing over the carnage to reach them.

"Sensei!" he cried as he threw himself to his knees beside the man. "Don't move," he babbled as he took Scorpion's hand in his own. "Hold on. We're going to take you to the base." Before his mentor could reply, he screamed for the medics to come help him. Tears, Kabal saw, were now streaming down his face.

The detective wasn't completely aware that he'd rested his hand on the boy's shoulder and patted it reassuringly. "He's gonna be okay, Tak," he said. "He's gonna be okay."

The medics arrived then, and carefully began the tedious process of transferring Scorpion to the cot. With his insides split open, threatening to spill out, they took care not to remove the sword since it was likely the only thing staunching the bleeding and keeping him alive. Instead, they packed thick pads of gauze around it to stabilize the sword and absorb all the blood. Stoic though he was, the Grandmaster still groaned and whimpered in pain as the medics moved him.

"Go with him, Tak," Kabal told the boy. "The rest of us can work to find the other survivors."

"I can't just leave," the young man quietly replied, though his eyes revealed that's precisely what he wanted to do. "Not without General Blade's permission."

"Fuck her," he replied. "This man was like a father to you. Go with him. And if she wants to say something, you direct her to me and _I'll_ tell her exactly what of mine she can kiss." Takeda faintly nodded before he trotted off after the medics.

While the other people occupied themselves with looking for survivors and separating the good guys from the bad, Kabal crouched beside one of the mutilated bodies, studying the child's corpse to look for clues. The blood, he noted, appeared as if it came into contact with water. Frowning behind his mask, he glanced around. The river, he saw, was easily a half a mile away, but he doubted that the dribs and drabs of water came from it. There was too little of it and besides, what there was pooled inside the gash sweeping across the boy's chest. There were no other apparent water sources immediately close by.

It could've been caused by melting ice from one of Sub-Zero's kori swords, but something bothered Kabal about that theory. True, he couldn't deny that he wanted one more crime to pin on his old teammate just to justify killing him when he found him. But the wound wasn't consistent with that of a kori sword. Kori swords - at least Kuai Liang's - were massive things, better to use for blunt force trauma, terrible for slicing through flesh. His weapons were meant for stabbing, not cutting. But _this_ wound was surgical and precise, more in line with what a katana could do. The way the damaged tissue ripped and curled around the gash almost suggested something wispy or ghost-like, something...windswept.

When the revelation hit him, it hit him hard and he recoiled. He'd seen wounds like this before. There was only one weapon he'd ever seen that did damage precisely like this: a storm sword. It was the weapon of a Hydromancer. Kabal's heart sank into his stomach. _Oh, God, please no_ , he inwardly pleaded, but as looked at the surrounding victims, the more he believed his suspicions were justified.

"Kabal," Sonya growled as she stamped towards him, "we need to have a talk. I-"

"Rain was here," he blurted out, cutting her off.

"Like hell, you say," she snarled. Though, her eyes flashed uncertainly, betraying her.

"I don't know how, but he was here."

"But he's dead," she argued. "He's been dead for twenty five years. Anya's family nailed his body to their village walls."

Kabal scoffed at that. "Well, we all though Reiko was dead too, didn't we?" he challenged her. "So now we know that bastard has both Sub-Zero and Rain under his control."

"And Havik too," Kenshi told him as he joined them. "I can see his energy everywhere here. It's absolutely chaotic, for lack of a better word. This place is tainted with him."

"Fucking fantastic," Kabal growled, his heart pumping hard in his chest now. "Is there any other of our enemies he's somehow dug up and recruited? Shang Tsung perhaps? Quan fucking Chi!" With that, he kicked a dead Tarkatan.

"I don't think you have to worry about those two," the blind man told him. "He's a powerful sorcerer in his own right, and whatever he's up to, he's not gonna want the competition."

"Scorpion said he took Earthrealm's kamidogu," he reported to them both. "I didn't even know Scorpion had it, did you?"

"No," Sonya replied, shaking her head.

"No," Kenshi echoed. "But Smoke informed me that Reiko also took Outworld's kamidogu from the Cryomancer's. He's collecting them, clearly, but for what, it's hard to say. Perhaps Raiden will have the answers we need."

Kabal sighed and crossed his arms, now surveying the landscape again. Special forces and many of the uninjured Lin Kuei were now scouring the battlefield, looking for survivors. Miraculously, he spotted several medics bandaging the young Shirai Ryu warriors here and there, and loading them on cots like they had with Scorpion. Apparently, Sergeant Cage and her team found the mother lode of survivors inside the ancient Temple built into the cliff wall because at the moment, a line of small children dressed in yellow walked down the stone-worked steps with them. That was one blessing to count today, he mused.

His eyes continued scanning the scene, but now they found Frost sitting on the wooden steps of the newer Temple, cradling a teenage boy in her arms. Kabal didn't even know he ran to her until he was already there, his feet kicking up a cloud of dust as he came to a halt. The boy she held could barely only have been thirteen or so, with Asian features, and a limp arm frozen a solid blue hanging towards the ground. That injury wasn't even the worst he'd suffered. He'd been run through by a broad sword, and _now_ the detective recognized Sub-Zero's handiwork. The boy was dead.

"Are you... _crying_?" Kabal suspiciously asked her. When she looked up at him with a face irritated with him for even asking the question, he saw that yes, her eyes were damp and red-rimmed. "I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"Go to Hell," she snapped. "You're not funny."

"I'm not trying to be," he said.

"My brother did this," she sniffed as she held the boy tighter to her and then stroked his hair back. "I can't believe he did this. This is something that I..." she trailed off.

"Would do yourself?" he interrupted when she didn't finish her sentence.

"That I never thought he was capable of," she growled.

Kabal nodded. "Well, my lovely little lollipop triple-dipped in psycho, I don't care if he's on autopilot or Reiko's slave or what. I'm going to find him and I'm going to kill him."

* * *

 **alwaysdoubted, thank you, and thank you for your support. Yes, it was interesting how it all worked out well for them. I hope I conveyed (you'll have to tell me if I did) how great of a general Reiko is, not to mention how they caught the Shirai Ryu completely off guard, and how outnumbered the Shirai Ryu were. If I didn't show that well enough, I'll have to back and make it more apparent because that was my intention and I want to show that's why they were able to massacre the Shirai Ryu like they did.**

 **EshaNapoleon, thanks!**

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, yeah, I kind of loosely modeled the massacre on the Shirai Ryu after the MKX comics, and that's why I had Fox get killed. And Reiko is definitely confident in his abilities as a general. His strategy for dealing with Netherrealm is going to have to be more clever than with the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu. He knows it's going to be a much bigger challenge and is going to have to take a little bit more time to prepare, which will give the Earthrealm Champions more of a chance to recover from their losses and go after him. I'm going to have to research brilliant military strategy before I can begin to work on his assault on the Netherrealm.**

 **ROCuevas, thank you for saying so!**

 **Reptaliator, haha thanks :) Yeah, I thought making Sub-Zero the actual bad guy for once would be an interesting take. Granted, he knows not what he does, so does that truly make him evil? But it's definitely going to make a lot of people salty, especially Scorpion.**

 **Prexistence, I'm glad you think so! I like to maintain that tension level :)**

 **jeanosauryehet27, yay! And thank you!**

 **carrocio66, no, I just took some time away to work on my original novel because I was suffering from writer's block on _this_ one. But now I'm having writer's block on my novel, so I'm picking up this one again. I find that alternating between WIPs helps keep the creative juices flowing. **

**Guest, thank you, I had as nice of a holiday as I could, and I hope you had a nice one as well :)**


	16. A Plan of Attack

_Kill them all...Kill them all...KILL THEM A-_

"Uncle?" Livy's weak voice cut through Bi-han's murderous thoughts. The sudden sound jarred him from his trance, and he started as he looked at his young niece who was gazing at him with a look of concern from her hospital bed.

"What?" he asked more than a little gruffly.

"You look really pale," she said.

Bi-han merely grunted at that. Then he got to his feet and stretched his dully aching back. These uncomfortable hospital chairs were much harder to sit on now than in his youth, but at the thought, he admonished himself for his weakness. Pain was the mark of a weak mind. In the back of his mind, Noob Saibot admonished him too. Ever since he'd used the wraith's dark powers, the demon scritched and scratched to be set free.

"How are you feeling?" he now asked her as he shoved that persistent gnawing away.

She shrugged. "Better, I guess."

"Samantha didn't heal you completely?" he wondered as he now glanced at her recently broken leg, which was still propped up on a stack of pillows.

"No, she did just fine," Livy answered. She said no more on the subject, but it wasn't hard for Bi-han to infer that she was really talking about the wounds on her soul. Losing friends at the Temple and losing her home paled in comparison to her heartache over losing her father.

"Master Bi-han," a new voice said to his right, and when he turned his head towards the sound, he saw Alex standing in the doorway, dressed in tactical gear from head to toe. He was, the older Cryomancer saw, heavily accessorized with a wide assortment of guns and knives. "Olivia," the Elite then said, nodding at her like an afterthought.

"What is it?" Bi-han barked while his niece remained silent and became incredibly engrossed in studying her hands on her lap.

"General Blade requests your presence," he reported. "She's gathering all of the Earthrealm Champions in the situation room to discuss a response to today's attacks."

 _KILL THEM ALL!_ the demon's voice shrieked.

Bi-han fought down Noob's overpowering personality. "It's about time," he flippantly remarked. "I'll be there shortly."

"I'm coming too," Livy now said as she threw aside her blankets.

"No, you're not," her uncle argued with her. "You're still very weak."

"Like hell I am," she snapped. "Sammie healed me. I'm fine."

"You're going to stay in bed and rest like I told you unless you want your _other_ leg broken," he threatened.

"My _father_ is the reason there were attacks today," she hissed. "I should know. I fought to stop him."

"Be that as it may, until he returns or your mother wakes up, _I_ am in charge of you, and _I_ am telling you to stay here," he growled.

" _I_ am an adult, and _I_ am my own boss."

"Olivia, maybe you should do what your uncle says," Alex told her as Bi-han now took a threatening step towards her. "Sam may have healed you, but you still look pretty exhausted. I'll come and tell you what they decided."

She narrowed her eyes at him and then glared at her uncle. "Fine," she reluctantly agreed. "But I want to know the moment you do what the plan to get my dad and stop Reiko is."

"Duly noted," Bi-han gruffly told her, slightly shaking his head in annoyance. Then he turned and followed Alex into the hallway.

It didn't take long to traverse the maze of hallways from the hospital to the situation room on the other side of the base. The room itself was large and dimly lit in spite of the low hanging fluorescent lights only a few feet above the oval-shaped conference table. He recognized Raiden, Sonya, Johnny, Kenshi, Kabal, Stryker, Tomas, Kailyn, and Cyrax, but the Cryomancer prince, Xinyi, was all but a stranger to him, and he found him dislikable immediately. He refused to believe it had anything to do with the young man's interest in Olivia.

"How is the Grandmaster?" Tomas opened when everyone but Raiden had found their seats.

"He's in surgery," Kenshi reported. "Kuai...Kuai Liang almost killed him. I honestly don't know how he didn't succeed, but it wasn't for his lack of trying."

Tomas cringed at that, but before he could respond, Raiden said, "I believe I know what Reiko is trying to accomplish. Once again, it appears as if he's trying to get his hands on Shinnok's amulet."

"Oh, not _this_ bullshit again," Kabal muttered as he buried his mask in his hands.

"How does attacking the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu help him get his hands on the amulet?" Johnny wanted to know.

"I believe there are three reasons for the attack on the Lin Kuei," Raiden answered. "There is the obvious reason of wanting revenge on Grandmaster Sub-Zero and Olivia for their role in his defeat and subsequent death. What better way to hurt them both than to turn Kuai Liang into a mindless slave hellbent on destroying anything Reiko sets his sights upon?" The Thunder God paced around the table. "The second reason is borne of logic. He knows that the Lin Kuei are sworn to defend Earthrealm and will not sit idly by while he attacks it, so he preemptively attacked them to ensure their non-interference in the days to come."

"Is that why he attacked the Shirai Ryu as well?" Stryker now asked.

"No, the Shirai Ryu were his real target in Earthrealm," he explained. "Grandmaster Hasashi was guarding Earthrealm's kamidogu in his Temple, and Reiko came to steal it."

Bi-han leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully pressing his fingertips together. "He's going to perform the Ritual of the Dark Blade, isn't he?"

"Yes," the Thunder God somberly replied.

"The Blade of what?" Kabal asked.

"It is the only way that he can break through my failsafes and claim Shinnok's amulet for my own," Raiden told him.

"He's gathering all of the Realms' kamidogu, one by one," Bi-han added. "This spell is ancient. And foolish."

"And how would _you_ know?" Sonya asked him pointedly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I learned about it during my time in Netherrealm," he replied in his most deadpan voice. "Quan Chi was studying it and had plans to perform it before he and Shang Tsung accidentally raised Onaga. He said it was a challenging spell and wasn't completely certain what the outcome would be."

"What's it _supposed_ to do?" Tomas wondered.

"It's supposed to bring Shinnok's amulet to him," he shrugged. "But Quan Chi's research kept mentioning something about a blood sacrifice to make a blood god. I don't know exactly what that meant, but I _do_ know that it gave him pause to think."

"And what's the third reason for the attack, Raiden?" Sonya now asked.

He crossed his arms. "As I'm sure you're all aware after the resurrection of the Dragon King that Sub-Zero's Dragon Medallion was crafted from the essences of all the kamidogu. Reiko needs what was given to it in order to claim the amulet, and with it, Shinnok's power. Again, what better way to ensure that Sub-Zero would willingly give it to him than to enslave his mind and his will?"

His gaze fluttered over his Champions. "We know he has claimed Outworld's kamidogu as well as Earthrealm's. We must also assume he has Edenia's and Chaosrealm's. That leaves Netherrealm and Seido. I have not felt his presence since shortly after the attack on the Shirai Ryu, which leads me to believe he has left Earthrealm and has traveled to one of the others. I must send emissaries to both in order to prevent him from taking their kamidogu."

"You want _us_ to go strike up a conversation with those Netherrealm creeps?" Kabal asked. "I mean, assuming they don't try to kill us on the spot."

"Please understand, Kadeem Kabal, that we _cannot_ allow Reiko to claim the other kamidogu," the god sternly replied. "He will unmake all the Realms and all life as we know it will die."

He chuffed. "Well, okay, then," he said. "I'm in."

"So who's going where?" Johnny now wondered.

"I think it's prudent to send a delegation to Outworld to treat with the Emperor," Xinyi declared. "If it's true what you say about Reiko destroying the Realms, then we should ask him for an alliance. Perhaps he can send his Champions as well as his armies."

Raiden peered at him and thoughtfully stroked his chin. "I concur," he finally replied. "Kadeem Kabal, I would like you to accompany Prince Xinyi to Z'Unkarah to ask for Kotal Kahn's assistance."

"I'm not really the diplomatic sort, Raiden," the detective replied. "Just ask Stryker."

His partner nodded in agreement. "It's true," he said. "He's got his own filing cabinet just for complaints over his unorthodox methods."

"Be that as it may, you have an old acquaintance there, and I would like you to enlist his help," the god responded. "I will speak with you shortly."

"I'll lead a team to Netherrealm," Sonya announced.

"Yes," Raiden agreed. "Because you will face the most adversity there, your team will be the largest, and I will accompany you. We will take your daughter's team as well as Kurtis Stryker, Smoke, Bi-han, Kailyn, and Alexander. Bring a team of your best soldiers with you, General. If we meet Reiko's army there, we will need to be prepared." Now he faced Kenshi. "I will summon Fujin, and he will join you, Johnny Cage, Cyrax, and Morgan in your mission to Seido. Be prepared: they have rigid laws and are hard of head."

"I met Hotaru, remember?" Kenshi raised an eyebrow beneath his red blindfold. "He tried to kill us because he was after Sub-Zero, and he thought we were his accomplices-"

"He is the most understanding one," the god said pointedly as he cut the other off. Once more, his eyes, tinged with light blue sadness, looked over his Champions. "This will be the most important mission of your lifetimes, more than the Tournament, more than the Dragon King. You _cannot_ fail."

"Then we won't," Bi-han said as he got up from the table.

XXXXX

Drowsily, Olivia sat on the edge of her bed with her head between her knees in an effort to fight off the wave of dizziness from the morphine coursing through her veins. She'd ripped the IV from her arms and it sat on the bed behind her, dripping saline and medicine onto her rumpled hospital sheets. A thin stream of blood trickled down her arm, and she watched it in interest as she seethed at the thought of everyone going to fight Reiko _except_ her. And she would be damned before she allowed that to happen. When her lightheadedness finally passed, she wiped her skin clean with the corner of the sheet and then slowly got to her feet, a woman on a mission.

But when she shuffled to the half-closet built into the wall, she found nothing inside. The story was the same with the dresser drawers beside it. _Goddammit!_ she swore to herself. They'd probably cut away all her clothes when they wheeled her into surgery, and all she had left was this stupid hospital gown with her butt hanging out the back and rubber-bottomed socks. But if she was going to go find and fight her dad, she needed to change.

Olivia cautiously peeked around the door jamb of her hospital room door, searching for anyone who'd drag her back to bed kicking and screaming, and let out an inaudible sigh of relief when she saw only a lone nurse walking between the dead bodies on guernies. The woman was, the Cryomancer couldn't help but notice, roughly the same height and build as she: tall with a slender frame. The nurse disappeared into a room labeled CLEAN LINEN, and when she did, Olivia sprang into action, resolving to escape from the hospital with _some_ dignity. It wasn't hard to subdue her. Before she even knew what hit her, the Cryomancer had slid into the room as silently as an adder on the hunt and gripped her shoulder where it met her neck, pumping cryogenic energy into her body. The nurse immediately collapsed, unconscious, but Olivia caught her from behind and gently escorted her to the ground.

"Sorry," she whispered.

It only took a few uninterrupted minutes for Olivia to steal her clothes and replace them with her own gown, so when she snuck out of the linen closet, she now donned purple scrubs and a laminated ID badge that belonged to one Madge Lucero, RN. It had an electronic barcode on it that might help the Cryomancer sneak through locked doors on the base.

Fully clothed and armed with the badge, Olivia then crept down the hospital hallways in search of her mother. Also infuriating, she thought as she searched, was how her family had refused to give her updates regarding Anya's condition. They all had feared that the news would upset her in her "frail" condition, and so they refused to tell her anything except that she was alive. It had annoyed her. She was _not_ a fragile flower easily broken, and she did not appreciate being treated as such. But more importantly, this was her _mother_. She had a right to know everything. It took her a few minutes of creeping around corners like a cat burglar, but eventually, at the end of a corridor adjacent from her own room, she found her siblings sitting with her Aunt Miyuki in a circle around Anya's bed.

"Livy, what are you doing out of bed?" Sammie immediately cried as she jumped to her feet. "You're supposed to be resting."

"Yeah, yeah," Olivia grumbled as she waved the teenager off.

She looked past her brothers, who were now standing between her and her mother, and then approached Anya's bedside in silent reverie. Tears sprang to her eyes as the image of her mother, wrapped in bandages and tubes, was forever burned into her mind. It pulled her heart into two different directions. On the one hand, she knew that her father was a victim in this nightmare the same as her mother. But on the other hand, Olivia's body, all the way from her toes to the top of her head, burned with molten fury for him for doing this to her. For doing this to _them_. And she was angry at herself too.

"What are we gonna do, Livy?" Tommy asked in an uncharacteristically somber tone.

"I'm going to get Dad," she replied. "And if I have to, I'm gonna _beat_ Reiko's spell out of him."

"Livy, no!" Sam protested at the same time Miyuki cried, "Are you insane?"

The younger Cryomancer peered coldly at her aunt. "Did you really just ask me if _I'm_ insane?" she growled.

The other woman bristled. "Yes, I did," she replied as she haughtily tilted her chin up.

"Hello, Kettle?" she started. "This is Pot. Um, you're black."

"You may hate me," she answered, now crossing her arms, "but it's insane to go after Kuai Liang on your own. He nearly killed you already. Think about your family."

Olivia bitterly chuffed at that. "Oh, that is _rich_ coming from you, Frost," she hissed.

"Olivia," Sam began, "maybe you should-"

"She won't be on her own," Tommy interrupted his little sister. " _I'm_ going with her. For Mom."

"Absolutely not," Jamie said as he looked at his twin. "You are absolutely not going without _me_." Tommy nodded and they both bumped knuckles.

"You can't go," Miyuki argued. "It's not safe! You don't know the last thing about traveling to the other Realms, and-"

"I managed just fine in Outworld," Livy reminded her.

"If by 'fine' you mean _dying_."

"My mom saved me," she countered. "And it's for my mom that I'm doing this."

"Your mom wouldn't want you putting yourself in harm's way for her, and especially when it's not going to do an ounce of good," she said, frowning. "You're going to endanger your lives on this foolish mission, and it's not going to make her wake up from her coma or heal her wounds or anything like that. She'd want you to stay here where you're safe."

"If Reiko wins, then _nobody_ is safe!" Olivia yelled, and finally, Miyuki backed down. "And this discussion is pointless," the young Cryomancer added, her voice calm now. "I'm going. You don't get to tell us what to do just because you got sprung from the nuthouse."

Miyuki glared at her. "I'll tell your uncles, then," she threatened.

"They already left," a new voice chimed in behind them, and when everyone turned around to see who it belonged to, they spotted Kabal standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. "So tell me, kid," he began as he looked at Olivia, "how exactly _do_ you plan on getting past all the guards and through the portal before they sound the alarm?"

The Cryomancer frowned and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I, uh, I haven't really got to that part yet."

"No shit." It was a statement, not a question.

"I just wanted to see my mom first before I plotted how to get away," she confessed.

He gazed at her intently from behind his eerie mask. "You know, kids, I'm dying a little inside to admit this, but I have to agree with the shrieking harpy, here," he rasped. "Your mother wouldn't want you to die in a madcap search for your possessed father."

"Who says we're gonna die?" Jamie indignantly challenged him.

"Who says you're not?" he shot back.

"I'm responsible for him," Olivia now blurted out, though she wasn't really sure why or where her statement came from.

Though he was masked, it was now Kabal's turn to shift his weight from foot to foot as he somehow managed to convey surprise. "What do you mean, Liv?" he asked her. "How are you responsible for your old man?"

"I failed," she confessed, her voice beginning to waver. "I failed everyone. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't. I just...I just couldn't." Tears now began to well in her eyes as her chin sunk to her chest. "He destroyed the Temple and he killed so many of my friends and mentors, and it's all my fault." At that, she began to cry.

"Aw, Livy, no it's not," Tommy gently told her as he side-hugged her. A moment later, they were joined by Jamie and Sam.

"It is," she argued. "If I had stopped him, maybe they'd still be alive and Mom wouldn't be like this right now." She allowed herself a moment to cry on Jamie's shoulder before she pulled away from all of them and looked at Kabal once more. "Because I didn't stop him, everything my dad does now is my fault. I'm responsible for him. So I have to find him and make this right, one way or another." She sniffed and then hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

The detective took a moment to answer, but finally he noisily sighed and looked at her. "I have two thoughts about that," he began. "The first? Your ego is huge, kid. You should probably get that in check pretty quick for your own good."

"I don't have a huge ego!" she indignantly replied, more than just a little annoyed that he was making a joke out of her anguish.

"You lost a fight to your old man and actually think that you should've won?" he scoffed. "Girlie, long before you were even a gleam in his eye, I saw him fight baddies every bit as evil and capable as Reiko and somehow manage to win. For God's sake, he fought _Fujin_ once. True, he didn't win that fight, but he didn't die either, so that's somewhat of a victory considering he took on a god and lived. Sweetheart, no offense, but you're not likely to beat your dad in a serious fight. Especially when he's not bogged down by things like guilt and conscience."

While Olivia scowled and stewed at his words, Tommy now turned to him and asked, "What's your second thought?"

"That I understand how you feel, kid," Kabal replied, never taking his eyes off the Cryomancer's. "You want vengeance for what was done to your mother. And you want to save your father too, if you can." He paused, sighed, and then said, "But your mother would still want you to be safe. So that puts me in a bit of a pickle, you see, because I know if I leave you behind, you'll just figure out a way to land face-first in all the drama anyway. So here's a compromise: you can come with me to Outworld. You know Kotal Kahn. I've heard that he likes you. Maybe you can help me talk him into joining us."

"I'm going after my father, Kabal," she snapped. "I don't have time for political gymnastics and ass-kissing."

"Either take it or leave it, kid," he shrugged. "I'm meeting up with the others after my mission in Outworld is done, and this is the only way you're tagging along. Otherwise, I'll arrest you right now and have you locked in a cell until we come home."

"As if a jail cell can hold _me_ ," she challenged him.

"Perhaps, but you'd have to kill or maim a lot of people to escape, and I _damn_ sure know your mom wouldn't want you to do that," he retorted.

"Livy, I think you should listen to him," Tommy told her. "At least this way, we get to help find Dad."

"Yeah, Sis," Jamie agreed. "It's better than nothing."

"I'll even sweeten the pot for you, Girlie," Kabal now smirked behind his mask. "I'm taking Xinyi with me. I hear he's your new boy-toy."

That prompted Olivia to scowl again, but the promise of traveling through the Realms with the Prince softened her heart a little. It _would_ be useful having a second Cryomancer on this trip. The last time she had visited Outworld, her powers had come in handy more than she'd ever have guessed. And two Cryomancers were better than one. Finally, her stubborn streak - the one that Anya insisted was so like her father's - calmed itself and she grudgingly nodded.

"Fine," she agreed.

"I'm going too!" Sam now yelped, which prompted Olivia to turn around and grab her.

"No, Sam," she told her.

"But _you're_ going," the teenager argued. "You're letting the twins go."

"They're Elites now, just like me," she said. "You're still not old enough."

"So what?" the other cried. "This isn't fair! Stop treating me like a baby!"

"I have an important job for you here," she said. "You need to stay with Mom, Sammie. Please," she begged.

"But-"

"But nothing, Sammie," she replied. "Mom's in bad shape. You can see that, can't you? I know you have eyes." She rested her hands on her younger sister's shoulders. "I don't trust these doctors to take care of her as well as you will. I want you to stay with her and keep trying to heal her."

"Livy," the Hydromancer whined.

"Please, Sammie," she said. "Please do it for me."

A long moment passed that threatened to turn into an even longer minute, but finally, Sam nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, I'll do it," she grudgingly said. "But bring Daddy home, Livy. You promise me."

"I promise," she said as she pressed her forehead to hers.

"And promise me you'll come home, and you'll bring the twins home too...Or, just you."

Livy wistfully chuckled at that, not knowing if she should promise such a thing when she knew full well the dangers they'd face along the way. But she lied anyway, and promised her, and kissed her on the forehead for good luck.

"Come on, _Madge_ ," Kabal now joked as he gripped Olivia's arm and tugged her towards the door. "We need to get going. Xinyi's waiting."

Within a half an hour, Olivia, Tommy, and Jamie had kissed their mother their somber goodbyes and promises to return, and joined Kabal and Xinyi in the portal control hangar. Once more, the Cryomancer had changed her clothes, this time to black tactical gear like Sonya's soldiers wore, but this time, her brothers had changed their clothes as well. Sammie stood with them as the controllers opened the gateway to Outworld, silently sobbing as the vortex whooshed open. Olivia couldn't be certain what her baby sister was crying about - was it the prospect of losing her siblings or of being left alone in Earthrealm to care for their comatose mother?

"Hey," she whispered to her as she lifted her chin with her finger. "There's no crying in baseball."

It prompted Sam to bitterly chuckle through her tears; _A League of Their Own_ was her favorite movie. "I wish I could go," she sniffed. "You might need a Hydromancer Healer."

"I hope that we don't," she replied. "Mom needs you right now more than we do. I'm counting on you, Sammie."

"I won't let you down," the other said. Then she looked up and met her gaze. "Please don't die this time."

"Oh, Sammie, if we can't stop Reiko, it's not gonna matter much either way," she told her. She carefully tucked a lock of short, brown hair behind the teenager's ear. "I'm gonna miss you. I'll be thinking about you every day."

Fresh tears bubbled over Sam's eyes. "I'll be thinking about you every minute!" she cried as she threw herself into Olivia's arms. She wrapped her arms around her waist in an iron grip and squeezed her so hard the Cryomancer struggled to breathe.

"Hey, you big baby," Tommy admonished with a mischievous grin as he pulled her ear, "don't you worry about a thing. _We'll_ be there to protect her."

"That's what I'm worried about," Sam moaned as she finally let her big sister go. But then she hugged him and Jamie too.

"She'll also have me, Sam," a new voice said, and they turned and saw Miyuki dressed in the same tactical clothing as them.

"Oh, hell no," Kabal groaned as the elder Cryomancer joined her nieces and nephews.

"I'm going with you," Miyuki announced, her face frowning. "This isn't up for debate."

"You couldn't even chase down Reiko when you had the chance," Olivia scoffed, now scowling. "And you think you're gonna do it now? When he has a whole army behind him?"

Her aunt scowled back and crossed her arms. "Your father - _my_ brother - never gave up on me once, even when I had done unspeakably horrible things to him. I'll be damned before I give up on him when he needs _me_."

"He doesn't need you, you piece of-"

"Shut up, Olivia," she snapped with such ferocity that it actually made Olivia take a step back in surprise. "Your father would want me to take care of you. So that's what I'm going to do. And if you don't like it, that's just tough. I may not be able to fight, but I can do other things. So get your stuff together and _move_ it."

With that, she clutched her backpack straps tighter and marched towards the now-open portal to Outworld. Tommy shrugged at Olivia before he tousled Sam's hair and then followed his aunt with Jamie in tow. Xinyi also walked with them, leaving Kabal and her standing alone with Sam.

"I don't like this," Olivia grumbled as she watched the Cryomancer disappear through the vortex.

Kabal inhaled loudly. "Neither do I, kid. Neither do I." He patted her on the shoulder. "Come on. Time to go."

XXXXX

 **alwaysdoubted, I'm glad you enjoyed the depiction of the battle sequence. You're right, I don't ever cut my characters a break. But it definitely helps me to keep them from getting overpowered. The key to good storytelling is conflict. You have to let your characters get a bloody nose. That way, when they finally win, the victory is sweeter for the reader. If I always gave them their way all the time, what would I leave for you to root for? ;) And don't worry about Frost. She'll get her groove back eventually ;)**

 **ROCuevas, thanks!**

 **caroccio66, I'm sorry things are so bad in France right now. But I'm inspired by stories of your Yellow Vests standing up to Big Government. The US is in a similar boat with the government stripping more and more of our rights and money away from us. I wish more young people saw the folly in such policies, but that is a different conversation for a different day. Try to keep hope. And if hope fails, there's always Revolution ;)**

 **en-lumine, aw, I'm glad that scene almost moved you to tears. MK11 has rekindled my love for our favorite speedster, hence his inclusion in this story. Another familiar face will be making an appearance soon ;) Reiko is up to some na'er-do-wells, but you already knew that LOL P.S. What song was playing today as you got the email notification for this update?**


	17. The Emperor and Empress of Hell

**A/N: And how's everyone doing right now with the 'rona running rampant? I have been in legit quarantine for a week because I'm sick with flu-like symptoms, and I'm waiting for the test results to come back. Today's the first day in a while that I've had the energy to work on this story. This is a shorter chapter because I need it to segue into a larger chapter. And long battle chapters take a while to plan and research. So I hope you enjoy this. Stay safe, my friends, and stay home if you can.**

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In tattered clothes that echoed the raiment of the outfits they'd fallen in, Nightwolf and Jade looked like corpses long since buried. "Lady Kitana left orders," his former friend spoke in her haughtiest tone. "We are not to let anyone from the other Realms pass."

Revenants, Reiko mused as he listened to her, were a lesser known but very aggressive type of monster, made only by the most powerful of sorcerers, for they were souls twisted and perverted by the darkest magic of all: necromancy. They were not mindless blobs of flesh like golems, yet their minds were not their own either. Indeed, their brains were damaged and warped, doomed to dwell on only the most horrible chapters of their lives before their deaths. Every injustice they ever suffered, every betrayal they ever endured, every pain they ever felt set their undead hearts on fire and charred them from the inside out, cracking through their blackened skin like the parched earth on the desert floor. Their only desire in life was to have revenge on the world that had scorned them. They had their uses, he thought, but ultimately they were too unpredictable to control with any measure of certainty. Still, he needed them.

"I would only be a _small_ disturbance, dearest Jade," he replied. "I wish to make her and Liu Kang a proposition. I know my adoptive sister will want to hear what I have to say."

"Then you have foolishly overestimated yourself," Nightwolf now hissed. "She does _not_ wish to be bothered."

Kitana had once told Reiko that the Earthrealm Champion was one of the most dangerous in their number - apart from Liu Kang, that was - because he had what the humans called a 'poker face' that betrayed no emotion, nor gave any hint as to what he might do next. Reiko would have welcomed a hint, right now. Rain and Sub-Zero would easily kill Nightwolf if he ordered it, but it would hardly be taken as a peaceful gesture if the General started murdering Kitana's inner circle. Yet, if he let these underlings chase him away, he'd be forced to fight for their kamidogu, and the subsequent battle would be quite costly to his own numbers.

"And what if I came to tell her and Liu Kang that I have found a way to free your master, Lord Shinnok?" he challenged as he lifted his eyebrow with a knowing smile. "I would hate for you both to have to report to them that you turned me away before I had a chance to tell them of this discovery, and of knowledge of the other Realms' movement against them."

Neither Nightwolf or Jade responded, and Reiko was close to ordering Rain and Sub-Zero to kill them. But then Jade said, "Very well, we will take you to them," and they abruptly stepped aside and allowed the gates of Phlegethon to gradually open up for them. It was the easiest victory he'd have of this entire journey. With a proud stride, he led his men into the hellish sanctuary.

Looking around, Reiko could see the Realm fading into a largely featureless, colorless gloom. There was no daytime here, only a perpetual twilight illuminated only by the occasional burning fire. Across the rolling lands between, the mountains frowned at them, black and shapeless below where night was thick, menacing jagged tops and edges outlined hard against the fiery glow above. Smoke and ash fluttered from the sky, smothering all the spirits trapped therein. Disfigured demon spawns patrolled the scorched, rocky land, frequently feasting on any soul that was unlucky enough to get caught. And at the heart of this infernal level rose a castle blacker than pitch, its many towers and spires scratching at the sky like twisted fingers. It loomed large on the horizon, and mountains teeming with all manners of ghouls and wraiths rose high behind it.

From the gates of Phlegethon, Reiko and his men traveled the meandering canyons of rock that ran beside the mountains' roots. It was like chasing a rainbow or the mirage of an oasis in the middle of the desert - never allowing them to truly get closer to the palace, always jumping just out of reach when they thought they'd make it. Long had they marched, leaving footprints in the cracked, hot surface. Slowly, a thickening of the night began to suggest the arrival of a storm - except, Reiko realized almost instantly, the castle was finally at hand.

When at last they arrived, their guides silently led them through the palace guard - not the undead, but twisted monsters with horns and fangs dripping with ropes of drool. Inside, the unpleasant odor of sulfur captured Reiko's senses first, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the putrid aroma. Then the decor caught his eyes. Bones, bones, bones in all directions, above and across, mortared together with blood and concrete, the very foundation of the castle. Skulls stared down at him from flying buttresses and the tops of pillars, always accusing. More skulls and bones made the chandeliers, the sconces, and candlesticks. Inside all of those grotesque decorations, torches or candles burned low, casting eerie shadows throughout the drafty halls. Reiko knew it was all meant to intimidate and terrify visitors to the ghastly abode, but he merely found it amusing.

"Skulls and bones," he began with the usual smile in his voice. "Most would avoid such a cliche stylistic choice, so I commend your masters for their bravery."

"Quiet, fool," Jade hissed.

He said nothing in response, merely chuckled at her fiery response.

A few more minutes passed in silence, but finally, Nightwolf spoke. "The Emperor and the Empress will see you in their throne room. But be warned: they do not suffer fools."

Reiko smiled. "Then I suppose it is fortunate I am _not_ a fool."

With that, he passed the revenants through an archway draped in a curtain, and immediately found himself inside a towering throne room. More skulls and bones supported the room in grotesque architecture, but in here, a black carpet with silver brocade woven into the pattern stretched from the entrance to the raised dais on the opposite side of the room where two thrones sat on high. And on those thrones sat Liu Kang and Kitana, the twisted revenants of their former selves, their eyes burning orange.

"Greetings, Sister, you're looking well," Reiko drily remarked. "I appreciate the warmth with which your servants met us."

"Warmth and welcoming parties are matters for the living," Liu Kang curtly snapped. He clenched his fists around the ends of the armrests and leaned slightly forward. "State your business, General."

Reiko bowed his head in deference, not particularly surprised that these two weren't ones for small talk. He said, "I have come to you to ask you for your assistance, my Lord. I have come to you to ask you to give me Netherrealm's sacred kamidogu."

Kitana couldn't even contain her bitter laughter. "Only a _small_ favor, I see," her voice lilted in sarcasm. She exchanged an amused glance with Liu, who scowled back at her.

"I have a counter-proposal," he now said. "I will kill you and your men, and you will all become my slaves."

"Such hostility!" he replied, sensing Rain, Sub-Zero, and Havik tensing behind him, readying for a fight. "And you haven't even heard what I'm prepared to offer you in return for your generosity!"

"Then speak, Brother," Kitana hissed. "I have already grown weary of you."

"You haven't even asked me _why_ I want your kamidogu," he replied, and then clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Oh, dear me, Sister mine," he sighed. "In my journeys, a spell fell into my lap, so to speak. A very old spell, a very rare spell, a very... _dangerous_ spell." He bared his wolfish teeth in an unsettling grin. "It requires all of the kamidogu from all of the Realms, all of which I have already procured save for yours and Seido's."

"And you think that we should just willingly give ours to you?" she countered.

"No, dearest Kitana," he said, "I know nothing is for free. This spell will release Shinnok's power and allow the Blood God to break the chains that hold him." Reiko inwardly laughed at his lie. Shinnok's power _would_ be released, yes. But the Elder God would very much remain in chains, leaving the General to seize that power for himself. "If you give me the kamidogu, Kitana, I will use it to restore your master. And I have no doubt that he will be exceedingly grateful to all who helped to free him."

Reiko could see her hard eyes soften as she considered it, and he knew her well enough to know that she was weakening. He fearlessly met her gaze, silently coaxing her to obedience. But then Liu spoke and broke the enchantment.

"Why, General?" he curtly asked. "What do _you_ have to gain from Shinnok's return?"

He nodded his head as if the fallen Chosen One had asked a good question. "He is the great equalizer," he lied. "Ever since my father, the Emperor Shao Kahn, fell into shadow, I have witnessed the Realms fall terribly out of balance. Unnatural chaos abounds."

"Perhaps that is because you travel with a heretic from Chaosrealm," he hissed, pointing to Havik.

"My cleric is the one who uncovered the spell, my Lord," he replied. "We have unlocked its secrets together."

Liu merely harrumphed at that.

"I cannot stabilize this great imbalance on my own," he continued. "And Lord Raiden confounds me at every turn."

"Yes, he is quite good at that," the other agreed as his lip curled into a snarl.

"I am nothing but a humble soldier, my Lord and Lady," he said. "But once, Lord Shinnok kept his sons, Raiden and Fujin, in check. He can do so again. And _he_ can restore the balance to the Realms by recreating them in his own image. And we who freed him will be handsomely rewarded."

"You have tried to resurrect him before and failed," Liu quickly pointed out.

"Yes, Lord, I did," he agreed. "That is because I underestimated the love between a father and his daughter." He now looked at Sub-Zero, who stood there coldly, his face expressionless, his arms crossed behind his back as if waiting for an order. "But as you can see, my Lord, I have taken great pains to ensure that I will not make the same mistake twice."

"What have you done to him?" Kitana now asked as she slowly rose to her feet and took a step down from her throne. There was a fleeting moment of concern on her face as she stared at the Cryomancer.

Intrigued, Reiko peered into her soul and saw long-buried feelings for him hidden in her heart, and a memory of kissing him on a beach whilst in the throes of grief for Liu Kang's passing. Kuai Liang had succumbed to her wiles for a sheer moment before he realized himself and rejected her, pushing her away, leaving her to her humiliation and her revelation that she did not love Liu as much as she had believed. _Sister_ , he inwardly sneered, _I never knew you had it in you_.

Still smiling, Reiko folded his hands behind his back and said, "I mutilated him with Outworld's kamidogu. When he nearly succumbed from his injuries, I used the power of Blood Magik to enslave his mind and body. Now he is bound to me. Completely and perfectly obedient."

Kitana exchanged a look with Liu as she sat back down, and then both returned his stare. "Very well, Brother," she said, "you may have Netherrealm's kamidogu. But know this: if you should fail to resurrect Lord Shinnok as you have claimed, I will cut you into a thousand pieces and feed the scraps to the hellhounds of Dis."

"Duly noted, Sister mine," he replied. "And if I may, there are two other matters I must trouble you with."

"You don't ask for much, do you, General?" Liu hissed in annoyance.

"I would take care not to mock me," he replied, and now his smile faded. "As we speak, Earthrealm Champions have mobilized and are en route to Netherrealm to stop me."

"So you want _us_ to protect you from them?" he sneered in derision.

Reiko chuckled. "Quite the contrary, my Lord. I wish to combine our forces to protect our shared interests."

"And what of the second matter?" Kitana now asked.

Once more, Reiko bared his teeth. "I need you to allow my Cleric, Havik, access to Quan Chi's laboratory."

"For what reason?"

"There is a spell I must conduct, and he has the resources I need to conduct it," Havik now spoke. "Time is of the essence. His is the only place equipped to do what I need to do."

"And what, pray tell, is that?" she sneered.

"I need to raise someone from the dead," he replied.

She burst into laughter. "You are no necromancer," she mocked.

"Do not underestimate me, Lady Kitana," he told her quietly.

She bowed her head. "Very well, then, Cleric. You may use his laboratory. Jade will show you the way." She waved her bodyguard over and silently, Jade motioned for Havik to follow her from the throne room. "You play a dangerous game, Brother, consorting with him," she said when the two were gone. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I trust him as much as I need to," Reiko vaguely replied. "As for the matter of the Earthrealm Champions…" he then trailed off, raising his eyebrow at her.

Once more, she and Liu exchanged a glance, this one longer than the ones before. But finally, they faced him and Liu said, "Very well, General. We will combine our forces and drive out the invaders. Tell us your plan to defend our keep."

XXXXX

There was no light in the sky when the Earthrealm Champions came to the gate of Phlegethon and Bi-han returned to his former home for the first time in many years. The ramparts of the palace loomed tall on the horizon, a high shadow from the darkest pit. A rocky road ran down into the plain, winding through little valleys and crevices towards that unholy place. As they marched to the gate, a goblin-like monster challenged them.

 _Kill him_! Noob Saibot's voice yelled in Bi-han's ear, and before Raiden could do anything about the creature, he did.

"Why did you do that, Bi-han?" the Thunder God demanded to know before the monster's body even hit the ground.

He looked at him as he threw his bloody kori sword against a rock, shattering it. "Don't forget where you are," the Cryomancer flatly replied, his expression blank. "They are not interested in negotiating." He looked towards the castle. "We shouldn't linger long. They undoubtedly know we're here, and they'll be trying to stop us from here to there."

The army passed through the gates, though the going was slow because they had many soldiers in their number. In a long file they walked towards the castle with Raiden and Bi-han showing them the way. As they walked, the Cryomancer peered into the gloom, his eyes always searching, and Noob's voice whispering in his mind.

Tomas walked closely behind him with Kailyn, and as cheerfully as he could muster, the cyber-ninja said, "Seems cozy." He stamped over smoothed, black stones. "It feels very familiar to me, though I can't say why."

"It's not surprising," Bi-han told him. "The Enenra in you once skulked about these very plains."

"Thanks for bringing that up, Bi-han," he drily remarked. "I definitely wanted to remember that I'm coming here when I die."

"You do not know what the Elder Gods' judgment shall be, Tomas Vrbada," Raiden told him. "Do not assume this place will be your ultimate destiny. If your heart is light, you will find yourself in a happier Realm."

"But my heart is _not_ light, Raiden," he argued, his face falling into worry.

"No Earthrealm Champion's is," Bi-han said, cutting off the Thunder God before he could say something.

Time slowly passed. In the broad valley, scattered fires burned, standing in sharp contrast against the blackness of the Realm. Noob Saibot wrapped around Bi-han's eyesight and allowed him to see the rising threat: an army bearing the Netherrealm standards intermingled with that of Shao Kahn. Thin ribbons of fear snaked bluely through him like a system of rivers. He found he needed a cloudburst or soothing landscape fast to still his sudden panic. It was not the army and the promise of death that he was afraid of: it was the realization that as he came closer to them, the stronger the demon inside of him became.

Without even realizing it, an oily black stain slithered over his eyes.

XXXXX

 **alwaysdoubted, it's definitely true that there were a lot of emotions and dynamics in the last chapter. If the heroes weren't put against insurmountable odds, would you even know it was me writing this story? LOL I can tell you that I'm not interested in what Kotal Kahn can do for the cause as I am interested in others in his number ;) And my hope is that Livy and Frost will grow to make their peace with one another before they kill each other.**

 **SpinoGuy Productions, yeah, when they reintroduced Kabal in MK11, I really liked his design and his attitude, and it reminded me that we haven't seen our favorite speedster in my work in a while. So I wanted to bring him back as well as his feelings for her. I feel like that can be a great source of conflict and motivation for his character. And I realized far too late, when I was working on _The Curse of the Dragon Medallion_ , that I had missed a great opportunity to showcase how Noob Saibot infects his head. So I decided to explore that idea further in this one. **

**jeanosauryehet27, I don't know. Did he? Or was it someone like Tsai Bing? ;)**

 **ROCuevas, thanks!**

 **caroccio66, there _are_ so many possibilities, and I hope I leave you all guessing until the very end. As for political issues, I hope France is weathering well with the coronavirus plaguing the world. Peace to you, my friend. **

**Persistence, yeah, it's definitely going to be interesting when Livy sees her dad again. Even I'm not certain how that's going to play out. Same thing with Bi-han's inner struggle with Noob. I'm kind of just letting my story tell me where to go.**


	18. Arrival in Z'Unkarah

On the walls of Z'unkarah, men beat drums to herald the Earthrealmers' coming while others blew curious horns that encircled their bodies like great ivory snakes. In moments, a column of _iwana_ riders emerged from the city to greet them. Those Osh-tekk warriors were painted the usual blue and wore masks made from humanoid skulls, and they sat high on saddles inlaid with citrine gemstones. Bones dangled from those saddles like wind chimes. Their _iwanas_ were dressed in dusty blankets woven in hues of red and blue.

"I am Zuma," their leader said after he trotted up and stopped them. "Emperor Koa'tal recognizes Lady Olivia, slayer of the General Reiko, and Prince Xinyi, Lord of Mòhé, and bids thee welcome."

The young Cryomancer tilted her head back and shielded her eyes from the sun. "You honor me, Commander Zuma," she said politely as she inwardly cringed at the mention of Reiko's death.

"You honor me as well," Xinyi agreed before he flashed a reassuring smile at Olivia.

"We shall escort you to the palace," he said. "We have brought mounts to make the passing faster, for the Emperor doubts you are here unless you are in great need." He clicked his tongue and immediately, several of the riders brought six of the creatures forward. Their saddles were empty.

"The Emperor is very wise," she replied before she took the reins from one of the Osh-tekk and pulled herself onto it. Her family, Kabal, and Xinyi followed suit and mounted their own _iwanas_ as well.

"Wow, these people are a lot nicer than I expected," Jamie quietly remarked to his group as they walked in between the deadly riders.

"Only because the Emperor likes your sister," Kabal whispered back. "I expect scouts reported to him that she was coming and sent the welcoming party when he heard."

"You didn't sleep with him too, did you?" her brother asked her in hushed tones.

"No!" she yelped, exasperated. She glared at him. "And shut up. The last thing I need is for you to piss him off."

"What did you say?" Zuma now asked, raising his eyebrow behind his mask and gazing at them like a hawk. His hand drifted to the tecaptl fastened to his belt.

It prompted Miyuki to speak up, and she said, "My nephew was just remarking at how big Z'Unkarah is." She cleared her throat and then shot a dirty look at Tommy.

"Z'Unkarah is the greatest city that ever was or will be," the Osh-tekk proudly declared. "It is at the heart of Outworld, the gate between the north and the south, the east and the west. It is said that Shao Kahn could not make this his home because it blinded him with its glory."

Olivia knew Zuma was exaggerating, but the magnificence of Z'Unkarah could not be denied. Three thick walls encircled the city, each thirty feet high, each made from bricks of golden sandstone, each dividing it by class. The outer wall was painted in giant murals depicting animals running from Osh-tekk hunters riding atop _iwanas_. She'd last seen this wall on the southern side, when Erron had carried her broken body the final stretch of the journey into the city and to safety. She surveyed the poorest section of town as they rode through, and she saw that they had rebuilt much of the damage from Reiko's siege. _Good_ , she thought. _These people were hit the hardest by the attack_.

The second wall was largely plain, though she did spot some graffiti painted in spots in a language she couldn't recognize if she tried. The last wall was carved in bas reliefs in scenes of war: the clash of macuahuitl and shield and spear, arrows in flight, heroes at battle and enemies being butchered, pyres of the dead. The gates through each wall opened easily at their approach. But as Olivia rode her _iwana_ into the deepest parts of the city, children rushed up to give her flowers. They wore sandals and sometimes the bright body paint donned by the Osh-tekk, but little else.

"You have fans," Tommy teased as he waved to some of the onlookers.

"Doubtful," she scoffed. "Their parents probably made them come up to us. These children are too young to remember me."

"But their _parents_ remember how you stopped the siege on Z'Unkarah from being much, much worse," Xinyi pointed out. He winked at her, prompting her cheeks to bloom with fire.

Zuma led their little group down the center of a bazaar in a cavernous building whose latticework ceiling was home to countless birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Trees and flowers bloomed on the terraced walls above the stalls, while below it seemed as if everything in Outworld was for sale. She fondly remembered this place from her visit before, the only bit of color in an otherwise golden city.

It wasn't long before the caravan arrived at the palace, and Olivia, along with her brothers, sucked in an awestruck breath at the sight of it. She had forgotten the sheer size of this place, larger than a small market town. _It makes Arctika look like a hovel,_ she marvelled. Zuma dismounted, helped her down but left the others to get out of their saddles themselves, and then guided her inside. The palace swallowed them.

"The Emperor is giving your company this entire wing to use," the Osh-tekk explained as he gently took her hand and led her towards the throne room.

"That is very generous of him," she said, "but I don't think we'll be staying very long."

"That is a pity," he replied. "If you see here anything or... _anyone_...that you desire, most beautiful of women, you have only to speak it and it is yours."

Olivia blushed, embarrassed that the man seemed to be hitting on her. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who thought that because immediately, Tommy said, "Back off, pal, that's my sister!" at the same time Xinyi said, "Take care to remember that she is a Lady, and she is spoken for, Commander Zuma."

He nodded his head in understanding, but said no more.

Finally, they arrived in the throne room, and the young Cryomancer saw Kotal Kahn sitting on his throne, wearing a golden helmet inlaid with jade and long blue plumes trailing out the back. A blood-red sash encircled his waist, and over it, a belt studded with garnets and yellow topaz. Otherwise, he wore little clothing as was the Osh-tekk fashion save for his studded leather gauntlets, worn boots, and an intricately beaded loincloth that dangled between his knees. Behind him hung standards of blazing yellow and orange suns on a field of white.

"Lady Olivia," he greeted with warm courtesy and then bowed his head ever-so-slightly.

"My Lord," she returned.

"I had not heard of your return to Z'Unkarah," he said. "Had I been forewarned, I would've commanded the entire city to greet you and pay their respects."

"I did not expect to be here," she admitted. "We came to ask for your help." And then she regaled him with the tale of Reiko's return, and the attacks on Mòhé, Arctika, and the Fire Gardens. She informed him of their theories about the General's motivations, and his next possible targets. He sat there silently as she spoke, patiently absorbing the information she gave to him.

When at last she was done, his deep-set eyes regarded her sympathetically. This was not a man forgiving of failure. "I am sorry for your father's fate," he finally said. "He was a good man."

"He _is_ a good man," she corrected.

He said nothing to that, but now looked at Xinyi fiercely. "It seems that my trust in the Lords of Mòhé, however, was ill-given."

"We are not your enemy, Lord Koa'tal," he protested. "If you will recall, when Onaga threatened to destroy all of Outworld, it was the Cryomancers who answered your call to battle and ensured our alliance's victory that day."

"At Himavat's command, not for love of me or Outworld," he shot back. "And you, young Prince, were not even there," he reminded him. "You, as I recall, were sheltering in Seido while the Seidans came in your stead."

Anger flashed across Xinyi's face. "That is _not_ how it happened-" he started but was promptly cut off.

"I should never have entrusted the Cryomancers with the safekeeping of Outworld's kamidogu," Kotal Kahn muttered as he clenched his fists around the armrests of his throne.

"It was by your will that my brother took it," the Prince retorted. "He never wanted it in our homeland. He knew the danger it would bring upon our heads someday."

"And yet, he took it anyway," he scoffed.

"Emperor, Prince, if I may," Kabal now spoke as he stepped forward and took a spot by Olivia, "this bickering isn't helping anything."

"I promise you, we will have revenge on Reiko," the Emperor waved him off.

"To be honest, I would much rather get the kamidogu back and stop Reiko from killing everyone, and leave his justice to God," he replied.

"And when shall that be, Earthrealmer?" he spat. "If your words are true, he is in Netherrealm and _you_ are here, troubling me instead."

Kabal shrugged at that. "That's fair. You've always been straightforward, Emperor, so let me be straightforward with you. "Like Olivia said, we need your help. Our friends that went to Netherrealm are probably going to get their asses handed to them unless you can send _your_ army as well."

Kotal shook his head no. "I will not leave Outworld vulnerable to attack should Reiko succeed in releasing Shinnok from his chains. We must use this time to consolidate our power."

"That doesn't even make sense!" Tommy now protested, stepping forward, prompting the Emperor to bristle in annoyance. "We can stop Reiko _now_ before he even gets the chance to raise Shinnok, but you'd rather wait for Shinnok to be raised before you'll fight?" The Hydromancer scowled at him. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life!"

"Hush!" Olivia barked at him, glaring at him until he backed down. Also annoyed, Miyuki gripped him by his elbow and yanked him back hard.

"There is much you do not understand, son of the Dragonslayer," Kotal replied lowly, dangerously. "If Netherrealm and Reiko have combined their forces, it is quite unlikely that any alliance _we_ could forge would win the battle. Not in Netherrealm. Without a General of our own equal to Reiko in cleverness and unpredictability, it is a fool's errand. I would prefer to orchestrate a resistance in my homeland, which I know much better than him _or_ Shinnok."

"What about a smaller squadron?" Olivia now asked. "Can't you spare even ten guys?"

Kotal shook his head no. "I will allow you to have one-"

"Let us have Erron Black," Kabal blurted out, rudely interrupting the Emperor.

He considered it for a moment. Finally, he asked, "Why Erron? Why not Ermac or D'Vorah? They are much more powerful than he."

"Because he and I have history," the detective replied.

"Me too," Olivia agreed, a little surprised by Kabal's choice. Kotal was right. Ermac would make more sense to pick given his supernatural powers. But, she found she was relieved by his choice and quickly agreed. "Also, he knows Reiko like I do," she added. "Better, even. Much better. He knows his tricks and his mind-games and his strategies. Just...he knows it all. And on top of that, I know he's going to want to help me put that bastard down again. Please, my Lord. Let us have Erron."

The Emperor bowed his head. "Very well, you may take Erron with you, and only because there is wisdom in your logic," he told her. "You will find him in a tavern in the middle ring of the city."

"I thought he quit drinking," the Cryomancer said, puzzled. She lifted an eyebrow.

"He does not go there for the spirits, Lady Olivia," Kotal replied with a veiled smile. "He goes there for... _other_ pleasures." He motioned for Zuma to step forward. "But you will need money."

XXXXX

"I can't believe I'm in Outworld right now, and I'm standing in an old-timey Wild West saloon," Olivia remarked as they looked around, waiting for the barkeep to notice them.

The common room was long and drafty, with a row of huge wooden kegs at one end and a fireplace at the other. The afternoon sunshine blared in through large window panes, casting a brilliant light around the bar it shined upon. The warmth of it, coupled with the fire, made this place just a tad too hot for Olivia's comfort, and perhaps Miyuki's as well, but the others didn't seem to notice. She watched as serving girls ran back and forth with platters of food while a scantily clad woman, dressed in the Edenian fashion, drew beer from the kegs.

The tables and benches were crowded, townsfolk mingling with all sorts of travelers. This tavern made for odd companions; farmers with worn hands like leather shared a bench with Osh-tekk riders stinking of _iwana_ sweat, a blacksmith with thick muscles squeezed in beside some sort of a cleric, and hardened mercenaries and plump merchants traded news and stories like old friends.

"Just stay close," Kabal warned her and the others. "I don't trust these people." He motioned for them to follow him to a round table close to the stairs, and as they all started to take a seat, an aging waitress with feathers in her black hair swept over to them.

"Welcome, Earthrealmers," she asked.

"How'd you know we were from Earthrealm?" Jamie asked as he looked up at her ample cleavage. She was showing it off by wearing a tight blouse with a giant panel cut across the front, almost from nipple to nipple.

"No Outworlder nor Seidan dresses in your unusual fashion," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Well, we could be from Netherrealm or Chaosrealm," he protested, earning a small smirk from her.

"Oh, you dear, sweet little lamb," she said as she crossed her arms in amusement.

"We're looking for Erron Black," Kabal told her. He, unlike the others, hadn't taken his chair yet. He quickly slid one of Kotal's gold coins into her palm. "The Emperor told us we could find him here."

She looked at the treasure he'd slipped to her and then bowed her head at his request. "Indeed," she spoke. "He's upstairs in one of our rooms." She now peered at the detective with bold gray eyes. "However, he's currently... _preoccupied_."

Behind his mask, Kabal narrowed his eyes, immediately discerning what she meant. He sighed heavily and looked at Frost and the kids. "Stay here," he told them. "I'll go get him."

"Maybe I should come with you," Olivia obliviously offered and started to get to her feet, but he promptly pushed her back onto her butt.

"Nope, you're staying put," he barked at her. "Order some food. God knows how much we'll get to eat on this trip. I'll be back down in a minute." He turned and started to head towards the stairs.

The waitress promptly stopped him at the bottom. "My Lord, if you interrupt Minister Black's activities, there could be problems. I don't want problems." Now Kabal frowned and passed her another gold coin, but she shook her head no. "Minister Black creates... _big_...problems when he's angry."

"You drive a hard bargain, lady," he remarked and gave her two more coins.

"He is in the last room on the left, at the end of the hallway," she told him with a mischievous smile plastered on her face. Then she pocketed her newfound money and walked away.

Kabal ventured up the stairs and down the hallway to the last door on the left where Erron was supposed to be, and, not surprisingly, he heard the gunslinger's muffled voice mingling with that of a young female. He pressed his ear to the door to hear better, just to be sure. Yes, he heard his old partner in crime mention something about ordering room service. There was laughter for a moment, and then the woman let out a delighted squeal. The detective rolled his eyes. He didn't take Erron for a wine 'em and dine 'em sort. Maybe the woman was super hot. He shrugged to himself at the thought.

"Well, here's hoping he doesn't shoot me where I stand," he muttered to himself, only mildly reassured in the knowledge that he could outrun one of Erron's bullets.

With that, he gripped the doorknob and shoved his way into the room unannounced, barely registering Erron's sudden cussing or the woman's screaming. His eyes found the bed right away, with both of them tangled in a mess of sheets, the woman scrabbling to get away as the gunslinger fumbled for his guns. Kabal refrained from laughing as he watched the man grab the ancient revolvers from the bedside table closest to him and point them at him. He quickly slammed the door shut behind him.

"Hola, Erron," he said, unimpressed by the weapons, or by the naked woman scurrying across the room with her arms crossed over her chest in a futile effort to cover her breasts and genitals. It wasn't nothing he hadn't seen before, especially when he was running with the Black Dragon and indulged himself in Kano's prostitutes fairly often. Kabal indifferently glanced at her. "Sorry for barging in like this, honey, but it's important. Here's a gold coin for your trouble." He calmly flipped it and watched her catch it. She then gazed at him with wild, bewildered eyes before she scooped her clothes from the floor and hustled from the room.

"I hope your conscience is clear because you're about to meet God," Erron spat at him then.

"I need your help," he said plainly, ignoring the hateful threat.

"I ain't interested," he stubbornly hissed. "I don't help nobody, especially no Yankee, tenderfoot little sissies like yourself." Now he climbed out of his bed, also naked, still holding his guns. The detective couldn't help but notice all the tiny little hashmarks criss-crossing his arms, back, and chest. He knew he'd done it to himself. He was keeping track of all the men he'd killed. But by the looks of it, he was rapidly running out of space.

"Tenderfoot little sissies?" he indignantly replied. "That's just hurtful, Erron."

"Go to Hell, you bastard," he snapped. "And get the hell out of here. I ain't helpin' you."

"Not even for old times' sake?"

"Especially not for old times' sake," he spat as he found his breeches on the floor and yanked them onto his legs. "We ain't friends. And I don't recall invitin' you here."

"I don't believe you did, amigo," he agreed, inwardly chuckling.

Erron scowled at him. "Goddamn you," he swore as he now fastened his belt around his waist. "I don't need you here dragging your goddamn Black Dragon problems here with you, makin' 'em _my_ problems too. Just who in the hell do you think you are?"

Kabal smirked. "I'm the guy who stuck out my neck to save you. I'm the guy you owe your life to."

Erron paused for a moment and looked at the detective thoughtfully. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Bull- _shit_ ," he scoffed. "Twenty-five years ago, you'd had your fill of the Black Dragon bullshit, and you were sick to death of Kano. You just wanted to return to Outworld. So you deserted us." Now Kabal took a dangerous step towards the gunslinger. "Kano didn't take too kindly to that and sent someone to track you down and kill you. Who was that again?" he demanded to know. Erron, ever stubborn, refused to answer, so the detective continued. "Oh, yes, he sent _me_ to come get you. And I did my job. Found you. Beat you half to death. Coulda killed you easily. But I didn't. I knew exactly what you were feeling because I was feeling it too. Just sick of the whole goddamn thing. Kano always kicking the hornet's nest and getting us in the shit, then hoarding all the rewards while _we_ did all the work, only throwing us a bone here and there. It was _bullshit_. So I let you go, didn't I, Erron? I let you go, and I went back and told Kano I took care of you so that he'd stop hunting you down so you could live here all high and mighty, acting like someone important in the Kahn's court. Didn't I?"

For a long moment, Erron said nothing. Then finally, he inhaled deeply, impatiently, clearly agitated with the detective. But he was a prideful man, and he'd never let himself stay in anyone's debt. "What do you want from me, Kabal?" he quietly asked.

"There's some serious shit going down, Erron," he began, "and I _need_ your help since you're probably the most-qualified person I know _to_ help."

"And why is that?"

"Because your old buddy, Reiko, is back from the dead," he said, and now the gunslinger whipped his head around, his green eyes bulging in surprise. "And if you're still the Erron Black I remember, you're not gonna let that one go. You're gonna want to put that rabid dog down, aren't you?" The man didn't answer, so Kabal said, "So what I want from you is to come downstairs with me, let me buy you some dinner, and hear me out."

"If I do this," he finally began, "then you and I are square again."

"Understood," he said. Then he nodded to the bedpost. "By the way, that was a nice way to greet someone, aiming a gun at my face."

"I think you'll get over it just fine," he grumbled.

"Nah, I need a warm and tender embrace to feel better," he joked.

Erron coldly looked at him, his face expressionless, his jaw like iron. "Consider the fact that I ain't put a bullet in your head a warm embrace, Kabal," he retorted in his most deadpan voice.

"Don't forget your hat," he told him, chuckling.

When the gunslinger was dressed, he followed Kabal down the stairs and was immediately met by Olivia, who threw her arms around him. "Oh, Erron, I'm so glad to see you," she breathed and then let him go.

"Well, I ain't happy to see _you_ , kid," he replied, patting her on the back. "If you're involved in whatever this pencil-dick has gotten himself into, then the shit really _has_ hit the fan."

"We need a fox to outsmart a fox," she retorted. She pointed to her family. "Erron, you remember my brothers, Tommy and Jamie?" she asked.

"I reckon so," he replied as the twins both half-heartedly raised their hands and said, "Yo" and "'Sup?"

"And that's my...aunt," she dragged the word out, reluctant to say it. Kabal couldn't blame her. Frost was a cuntasaurus rex. She'd personally overseen many of his most traumatizing experiences in Outworld, and he could barely stand the sight of her.

"Yeah, I remember her too, though it's been a sight longer since I seen her caged up after the battle against Onaga." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I saw you at the battle too," she coldly replied. "Weren't you the one running from Mileena?"

"And this is Prince Xinyi," she quickly introduced before an argument got started. "He's a Cryomancer from Mòhé."

Xinyi got to his feet and bowed respectfully, but Erron merely crossed his arms and eyed him up and down suspiciously. "Great, another tenderfoot sissy," he muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" the Prince replied as he raised his eyebrow.

"You brought a Prince, eh?" he scoffed. "Well I guess it ain't nothing but silk sheets and Parisian whores from now on."

"Erron," Olivia tensed as she looked at him. "This is serious."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear about it, either," he replied as he and Kabal took a seat at the table with them. And then, as she had in Kotal Kahn's throne room, she regaled the outlaw about Reiko's return. Halfway through her story, he pinched his fingers to the bridge of his nose, gently rubbing away what Kabal surmised was a growing headache.

"So you can see," Olivia began when she was finished telling her story, "we need your help."

"I don't rightfully know what you expect _me_ to do about it," he said. "I ain't a one-man army."

"Well, you kind of are," she muttered as a faint smile crossed her face.

"Look, Erron," Kabal impatiently began, "Kotal gave you to us. And we have money to pay you for your services."

"This is ridiculous," Xinyi snapped. "Why would you pay this criminal to help our cause and to fight beside Olivia as he once did? He's a sell-sword. He has no allegiance to anyone or anything but a bit of gold. Men such as this have no honor." He scowled at the man. " _I_ will freely fight alongside Lady Olivia, and I will protect her from harm."

Everyone at the table tensed at the Prince's bold declaration, wondering how the gunslinger would take it. But Erron merely narrowed his eyes at him for the longest time before he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "I bet you will," he replied in his usual drawl, his voice hinting at suspiciousness. He sighed and then took a drink of water. "Alright, kid, what's your plan?"

Olivia smiled. "We're gonna meet up with the others in Netherrealm and try to stop him at the source. My uncles went there. Bi-han will know what to do."

XXXXX

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, yeah, they're revenants, but their motivations are going to have to change a little. Liu Kang was killed by the Deadly Alliance in my timeline, so being bitter about being killed by Shang Tsung is a good reason to hate Raiden. Especially since the revenants get their blame all twisted.**

 **alwaysdoubted, yeah, the revenants have to know he's up to something. But maybe they know something he doesn't? ;) And yeah, I'm sorry about Jade. But I'll try not to be too mean to her. No promises, though LOL**

 **ROCuevas, thanks!**

 **guest, I've always said from day one, and I believe _it's_ in the description of my work in the "About Me" section on my profile, that my stories loosely follow the timeline of the games (from the very first game) while interweaving ideas from the movies and TV shows. So will this story look anything like what happened in MKX or MK11? Not really, save for a smidge. ****For example, the fight between Bi-han and Fujin in _Curse of the Dragon Medallion_ happened in the _Mythologies: Sub-Zero_ game that came out 20-something years ago. Sub-Zero and Smoke's tight friendship was touched on in _Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm_. ****I do that because I want to keep my stories tethered to those stories that inspired me. So that's why you'll see little nuggets here and there from the original source material. But ultimately, my stories follow the adventures of Sub-Zero and _his_ timeline as I've imagined it. **


	19. Arrival in Seido

**Author's Note: This chapter is a bit lighthearted and inspired a lot by this last week's reveals around Fujin for _Aftermath_. Which, by the way, I'm stoked for. **

XXXXX

When Fujin's band of Earthrealm Champions emerged through the portal into Seido, the span on which they trod was a gleaming swath of gold-plated cobblestone that would blind anyone who spent too much time looking down. Sweeping arches provided the bridge its support while spouts with no discernable sources provided roaring waterfalls between each arch. They flowed from the bridge itself, plummeting into the depths unseen far below. It was musical, that constant rush.

"Be on your guard," Fujin warned them and then looked at Morgan directly. For his only daughter, his voice turned as gentle as it ever got. "The Seidans are _not_ our enemies, but they're not terribly fond of anyone they perceive to be chaosmongers. In short, non-Seidans."

"I've heard there's a rebellion," she replied as she tucked a loose piece of her silvery-blond hair that had carelessly fallen in her face back into her bun. She looked less like a Lin Kuei warrior and more like a soldier in her black BDU's on loan to her from the Rangers. "Many Seidans aren't happy with how they're being ruled."

"I can't stress enough how important it is _not_ to mention that," he told her in all earnestness. "Hotaru might think we're here to instigate problems, and be less than inclined to help us."

"As it is, he's probably not going to be happy to hear that Reiko's coming for his kamidogu," Kenshi added. "Or _why_ he's coming for the kamidogu."

The young Hydromancer shrugged. "Prince Xinyi told Olivia that this was actually a really awesome place that's full of good people. Maybe General Hotaru will surprise you guys."

"The Seidans don't really believe in free will, Morgan," Fujin explained. "This is _far_ from any sort of democracy. To them, freedom breeds chaos, and as you know, they abhor chaos."

"Then why are they always fighting in wars?" she challenged. "War is practically synonymous with chaos."

The Wind God looked at her again. "Because they want to maintain total control. And Hotaru is very good at ensuring that happens."

"I didn't think that uptight bug-dude was in charge of the whole Realm," Johnny now said.

"He's not," Fujin replied. "Seido is ruled by an Elder Council. Hotaru is merely their mouthpiece and their chief enforcer. But in case you all have forgotten, he is _not_ to be underestimated. He is a deadly warrior. One of the deadliest in all of the Realms."

They walked in silence after that, and Fujin kept glancing at his daughter. He had not been thrilled that she'd joined his party, and had much preferred her to stay at Ft. Albany where she'd be out of harm's way, but he grudgingly admitted that he'd rather her be here with him than in Netherrealm with the rest of the Lin Kuei. At least Raiden had had the foresight to send her to Seido where the Wind God could watch over her and keep her safe. If Reiko succeeded in his plot, he convinced himself, Morgan's best bet was to stay close to him. There was a slight chance that he could shield her from the destruction of the Realms. A very slight one.

His first sight of the capital city, also called Seido, was of the highest of the flying isles. These small parcels of earth floated freely overhead, not merely ignoring but actively mocking a great many physical laws that bound Earthrealm. They were jagged at the base, like mountains tipped upside down, and housed various fortresses and towers and buildings upon them. From this distance, Fujin could make out few of the details, either of those structures or of anything else.

The city was constructed in layers, as high as the clouds and deeper than the eye could see. Some of those layers consisted of the floating isles the Wind God had noted upon their approach. But on stationary ground, entire neighborhoods had been precariously balanced upon narrow roads and graceful arches. Farm wagons and merchants' carts moved aside to let them pass and to curiously study these foreigners to their land. The sun was beginning to set by the time they crossed into the city proper.

After at least a few hours of passing through magnificent, shining neighborhoods and warehouse districts, the twin columns of Earthrealm Champions finally approached the lustrous palace at the heart of the city where they knew they could find Hotaru. The Seidans, Fujin knew, were a martial people because they'd had to be; more than a few of their number resented the strictness of their laws, and revolted quite often against the ruling caste only to be defeated time and again. So when they arrived at the palace, the Wind God was not particularly surprised to see that energy cannons on either side of the main gate tracked their every move.

"You are not Seidans," a gruff voice called from the battlements. "Who are you and why have you come?"

Fujin tilted back his head and shouted, "We are peaceful emissaries on urgent business from Earthrealm, and we seek an audience with General Hotaru, the Captain of the Seidan Guard!" Silence followed, and the Wind God grew impatient. "He knows me well! Ask him yourself!"

He wasn't quite sure if it was his words that provoked a response, or if the Seidans had already been getting ready to let them in, but regardless, the portcullis faded into a gelatinous membrane to allow them passage, and once more, he led the group forward, this time into the palace. As he passed through, he could sense the humming vibration of the energy field around him, and he knew from previous experiences that it was searching for hidden weapons on his person. Seidan technology was quite advanced in spite of initial appearances.

Within the fortification, they met a tall man who all of them but Morgan had fought alongside many years ago. He was a head taller than even the tallest man there, yet somehow he was light on his feet, as agile as a panther. He seemed much younger than he actually was, like he was forty instead of several thousand years old, and his skin was the color of polished copper as if he'd been kissed by the Seidan sun. His hair was as white as a blizzard, and it swung loosely almost to his waist, the very ends of it brushing the small of his back. It had been halfway pulled into a clean, precise topknot at his crown, with tiny bronze rings hanging from the twisted hair. He wore the shiny black armor of the Seidan Guard, but it was noticeably absent his twin banners that jutted from his back like wings. Fujin knew that those banners were only worn into battle to identify him as the Seidan General, and for all other times, his normal attire sufficed.

"And what are _you_ doing here?" His voice was powerful, clearly accustomed to instant and unquestioning obedience.

"A pleasure as always, General Hotaru," Fujin replied, extending his forearm to him in a gesture of friendship.

The greatest warrior Seido had ever produced gazed at the Wind God warily for a moment, but then offered his own forearm, which they clasped together in greeting. "Your business must indeed be urgent if you come to Seido to seek an audience."

"That, old friend, is an understatement," he said as the General turned and began escorting them through the winding maze of walls. He began filling him in as they ventured deeper into the palace, finally coming to a stop in a large room with a long, black marble table clearly meant for diplomats and other politicians to sit and argue at.

The chamber itself was richly furnished. Edenian carpets covered the floor, and in one corner a hundred fabulous beasts cavorted in bright paints on a carved screen from the Seidan island of Kantu. The walls were hung with tapestries from Jōhoku and Minato and Esashi, and a pair of Ebros sphinxes flanked the door, their wings outstretched and their eyes of polished garnets staring from black marble faces.

"Shinnok's amulet," Fujin said as he finally concluded his recounting of recent events, is the greatest surviving artifact from the Great War of the Elder Gods. It is also one of the most vile." His voice was oddly distant, almost unfocused. "After Reiko's last attempt to steal it from the Sky Temple, I'd hoped never to hear or speak of it again."

He sat in one of their stern chairs, back straight and head unbowed despite his obvious discomfort with the topic. His normally fair skin glowed ruddy in the flickering, artificial light from the marble fireplace nearby. Although he faced the stony visage of the Captain of the Guard who sat in the high-backed chair at the head of the table before him, his voice was pitched so that everyone present could hear.

"It was at the beginning of time," he continued. "I confess that much of what I know was passed to me by my brother, Raiden, as I was quite young then, barely old enough to fight alongside him when war broke out amongst the Elder Gods. Shinnok had become paranoid that the others sought to destroy him, so he fashioned his amulet to contain enough of his powers to revive him should they imprison him as he feared."

Fujin, normally quite unshakable, got to his feet and began to pace.

"Even a fraction of the power contained within that amulet is more than I could ever hope to have," he continued. "Thus is a power of an Elder God."

"How dramatic," Hotaru chided.

"Only _he_ can use it to its full potential," he said, undaunted by her remark. "But it _will_ grant others terrible powers should they access it. That is why, for eons, my brother and I have guarded it."

"Did not that Lin Kuei assassin once break into the Temple of the Elements and steal it from underneath your nose?" the Captain now asked, and Fujin clenched his jaw in annoyance at the memory of Bi-han besting him in battle. "I seem to recall hearing that story years ago."

"Yes, he did," he confessed. "And then we recovered it shortly thereafter, in spite of Quan Chi's designs." He did not raise his voice, but when he gazed at the Seidan, the threat in his tone was apparent. "That is when Raiden took it to the Sky Temple where no mortal can find it." He deliberately omitted the part about Kenshi being the sole human who knew where to go as he did not want to invite temptation. "Our wards and magics have kept anyone from finding and stealing it again."

"Until now, when you say Reiko is trying to steal it again," Hotaru deduced.

"Yes, General," he agreed. "He has always been clever. If only he had not been raised by Shao Kahn." He shook his head and then squeezed Morgan on the shoulder as if to reassure himself. "With the help of the Chaosrealm cleric, Havik, we believe he has found a way to circumvent our defenses. We believe he is going to attempt to cast a spell that will bring the amulet to him, and to do this, he needs _all_ of the Realms' kamidogu."

Hotaru, for all of his grace and composure, noticeably tensed. "And you said he has already claimed four of the six, save for Netherrealm and Seido's?"

"He is marching upon Netherrealm as we speak, General," Fujin answered. "It is quite possible that he will soon have five, and then he will turn his eye towards Seido."

Hotaru frowned and then leaned back in his seat. "I am disheartened that you have made Earthrealm's problems ours," he finally said. "But if what you say is true, we have no choice but to help you and the other chaosmongers, if only to protect ourselves."

"General," he began, "we offer you our aid. We have a common interest."

"Do we?" he challenged.

"Yes," Cyrax now answered. "If General Reiko succeeds, he has promised to destroy all the Realms and everyone within them."

"If we can stop him from taking your kamidogu, then we can protect the Realms and avoid further chaos and destruction," Kenshi added.

"Also, it'll just be fun to kick Shao Kahn Lite's ass," Johnny declared.

"We do not enjoy warfare, Mr. Cage," Hotaru coldly said to him. "And you would do well to remember where you are."

The actor bristled at that as Fujin now spoke again. "I think what Johnny is trying to say, General, albeit ineptly, is that Reiko threatens our lives. Our homes. Our people. Your children. _Mine_." The Wind God now looked over to Morgan, and with a faint but sad smile, cupped his hand over hers. This prompted her to smile back, her lavender eyes so expressive. "We all should strive to avoid warfare, but some causes are worth fighting for." He turned around and faced Hotaru again, though he still clutched his daughter's hand. "If our comrades in Netherrealm aren't able to defeat him there, then we will stand with you here and fight alongside you to stop Reiko once and for all."

"General," a new voice sounded, and a man wearing intricate black Samurai armor similar to Hotaru and the other Guards' marched into the war room. He had yet to remove his mask and kabuto helmet, which was ornately engraved and bore a flowing golden dragon on the top like a crest. It was impossible for Fujin to see the man's face, but he watched him intently as he approached the now-standing Hotaru and bowed slightly.

"Commander," the other greeted, also bowing. "What news from Kurinagawa?" he asked.

"My Riders have destroyed Darrius' rebel cell as you commanded," he reported, his voice baritone. "We discovered their plot to attack the cool energy towers in Seto and averted it. We left none alive, General, nor did we leave a trace of their bodies. _Shinka_ burned what remained. But as we returned to Seido, General, we came across a band of Netherrealm scouts that we slayed as well."

"You did not think to keep one alive to discover their schemes in Seido?" he frowned, clearly displeased.

"Yes, General, we did," he replied, his voice calm and unwavering. "He told us that Netherrealm has pledged their support to General Reiko from Outworld. But the fiend had a knife hidden in his breastplate and used it to slit his own throat before we could interrogate him further."

"These are strange times," Hotaru mused, sighing, now looking at the others seated around the table. "Netherrealmers band together with rebel Outworlders to attack Seido while Earthrealmers offer us their help to fight this unholy alliance. Chaosmongers, the lot of them!" He shook his head in annoyance and then gestured toward the emissaries. "This is Commander Ikki, the Chief Rider of the Seidan Cavalry," he told the Champions. "He will stay with you and make you comfortable while I consult the Elders."

"Please hurry," Fujin urged him. "If Netherrealm supports Reiko, it is not likely the other Earthrealm Champions will succeed there. We must take immediate action to prepare Seido for an oncoming attack."

"It will be as the Elders wish," he replied. Then he nodded at his Commander before he abruptly left the room.

Fujin sighed and pointed around the table. "Commander, this is Kenshi, Johnny, Bomani, and Morgan. They are all from Earthrealm."

In a single, swift movement, Ikki had removed his mask and helmet. Fujin saw that he was a large, clear-cut man, with precise features and a lot of very soft black hair cut short on top, a tuft of black hair on his chin, and thoughtful silver-green eyes. One of the Seidan Horse Lords, he immediately recognized at a glance: long-legged, muscular, with wind-chafed cocoa skin, and sure, strong hands. He had a look of wariness that the Wind God sensed could change into a smile of amused friendliness which aroused feelings of warmth, and something more, in many women. And at the moment, that smile and those eyes were fixed on Morgan, barely noticing the men that surrounded her.

Oblivious to the Wind God's stern glare, Ikki approached her, knelt before her seat, and then lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss. "I did not know that women from Earthrealm were so fair, Lady," he said, and it prompted her to smile. "You could teach a torch a thing or two about brightness. Such beauty is too precious for Earthrealm."

Fujin's fists immediately and uncontrollably clenched into fists and his muscles tightened, especially as Morgan grinned back. "I'd best be careful," she said, crossing her arms and legs in amusement. "It seems that Seido's Chief Rider has a honeyed tongue."

"It is yours if you only say the word," he replied, which set the Wind God's nostrils flaring.

It was a point not lost on Kenshi, who immediately joined his old friend's side and patted his shoulder to keep him calm. Johnny's eyes, meanwhile, were full of judgment as he looked at Fujin as if he couldn't believe he'd let this Seidan speak to his daughter like that. And he had to agree with the actor. There were moments - not many, but enough - when his daughter reminded her father that she was a woman now, and sought companionship as any normal person would. And right now was one of those times, Fujin mused in disgust and discomfort as she hungrily eyed the handsome Seidan Rider. He began to say something to put an end to this flirting, but Morgan abruptly beat him to the punch, apparently enjoying this game between her and him.

"Oh, is that how it is?" she said, eyeing him boldly. "Have you been away with your horse for too long? Or were there simply no women where you came from?"

"There were women enough, but none like you," he smirked.

"And how would _you_ know what I'm like?" she challenged, raising her eyebrow.

"My eyes can see your lovely face, Lady," he said. "And my ears can hear the music of your laughter. And I'm sure the rest to know is equally enticing, if you would allow me the honor of learning."

"Okay, that's enough," Fujin interrupted as he sprang to his feet just as Kenshi held up his hand in deference and cocked his head in Ikki's direction.

"This is not the best time to have this discussion with Morgan," the blind swordsman delicately suggested. "Or audience to have it in front of," he added a moment later when it was clear that the Wind God couldn't still his sudden feelings of protectiveness.

"She is like a dove amongst crows," the Commander praised once more getting to his feet and helping her to hers. "I have never seen true beauty in my life until tonight."

"This dude's good," Johnny praised with a soft laugh. "I'm gonna have to remember these lines."

"Would you shut your mouth?" Fujin angrily snapped at him before he looked at Ikki. "Kenshi's right," he now told him as he pulled Morgan by the elbow away from him and interposed himself between her and him. He didn't even notice that she was glaring daggers in his direction. "This is not the appropriate time for this."

Sudden dawning registered on Ikki's face. "Oh, you are her-"

"Yes," he curtly interrupted. "I am."

The Commander bowed deeply. "Forgive me, Lord. I meant no disrespect to you or your granddaughter."

At that, Johnny, Cyrax, and even _Morgan_ burst out laughing while the Wind God's eyes bugged out of his sockets and his jaw dropped to the floor. "I'm not her grandfather!" he indignantly replied. He glanced at Kenshi, who was fighting his own smirk. "" _Et tu, Brute_?" he snapped at his friend.

Ikki merely looked at him in confusion. "I do not understand, then," he said. "If not her grandfather, then what?"

"Her _father_ ," he hissed at the man. "I'm her _father_."

"Then she must have been born when you were already quite advanced in age," he solemnly replied, prompting Morgan and the others to laugh even harder. Even Kenshi couldn't stop himself now.

The Hydromancer soon pushed her way past her father once again. "Commander Ikki," she sweetly began, "this old man, _my_ old man, is Fujin, one of Earthrealm's protectors and the God of the Wind." She tilted her face up to his in amusement and crossed her arms again. Oh, she was just _loving_ this, he noted in annoyance.

In exasperation, he returned her gaze. "I'm not old," he declared. "Not even close. You're completely wrong. I'm young _and_ I'm hip." The comment elicited an impolite snort from Johnny.

Now she regarded him with sympathy, and that was almost worse somehow. "Really, Daddy?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely," he said. "I listen to that Snoopy Dog Dog."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing again, rolled her eyes, and said, "Yeah, you're pretty fly for a white guy."

"You know what I mean," he growled.

"Well, technically, he's not wrong about you being advanced in age," she shrugged, still chuckling. "But hey, look at the bright side," she began as she clapped him on his arm. "You're living proof that you're only as old as you feel."

"Oh, very funny," he said, scowling.

She smirked at him. "So maybe this whole situation will teach you to butt out of my affairs in the future," she told him. " _Maybe_ it'll teach you to let me handle things myself." With that, she turned and faced Ikki, offering him her arm. "Commander, I would be _honored_ if you would show me around Seido."

The Seidan didn't appear the least bit concerned by Fujin as he beamed at her and took her arm in his own, and that indifference annoyed the Wind God too. "It would be my privilege, Lady," he told her.

"Really, Morgan?" he said as she turned to walk out. "You're really going to do this even though this is _not_ a great time to go on a date?"

"The world might end soon, Daddy," she called over her shoulder as the Horse Lord led her out. Her eyes were twinkling in amusement. "I can't think of a better time than now."

"For that, you're out of my will!" he called after her. Morgan merely waved back at him, never looking in his direction.

"You really let _her_ know who's boss, Super Fly," Johnny chided as he got to his feet and joined the other Earthrealm Champions.

Fujin narrowed his eyes at him. "I _know_ you're not criticizing me for how I'm handling _my_ daughter," he said, insinuating he had no place to talk about out-of-control daughters. Cassie's perpetual antics sprang to the forefront of his mind.

The actor crossed his arms, his face flashing in annoyance. "Dollars to donuts, that Ikki dude is like Seido's equivalent to the high school quarterback," he hissed, deliberately needling the Wind God. "I'll bet he's a stud, too. A _real_ charmer. Obviously, I know a charmer when I see one. He could probably talk her out of her clothes and make her think it was her idea."

"You better shut your mouth before I-"

"Alright, enough of this," Kenshi interrupted before a real argument got going. "This is not going to help any of us. Least of all you," he said pointedly to Fujin.

"Didn't you see what just happened?" he challenged, still angry. "He just brazenly hits on _my_ daughter right in front of me, and then calls me her _grandfather-_ "

"Do you trust her?" he cut off, crossing his arms.

"What?"

"I said, do you trust her? Do you trust Morgan?"

"Implicitly," he replied.

"Then let it go," he gently said.

"Easy for you to say, it's not _your_ daughter who just went off, arm in arm, with the star quarterback of the football team," he grumbled, gesturing in frustration at the door.

"If you're _that_ worried about her," Cyrax now intervened, "then we should follow them and catch up so that they are not left without chaperones."

"Good point," he sighed as he started to follow them out.

Then Johnny abruptly joined his side. "Hey, I totally get why you freaked out about that dude hitting on her," he said. "If some guy who looks like _that_ tried to pick up Cassie, I'd be nervous too."

"She's a good daughter," he said through gritted teeth, trying him to force himself to remember that, even as they entered the hallway after Kenshi and Cyrax and he saw her lean in dangerously close to her new friend. "And she has good judgment. Usually."

"Whatever you gotta tell yourself, Super Fly," Johnny chuffed. "But listen, I also get why you freaked about being called her grandfather," he said as they walked. "After _Fists of Honor_ came out last year, the press had a field day calling me 'grandpa,' saying I filmed it in a retirement home. I was devastated, Wind-Dude."

Fujin looked at him in earnest, sensing that Johnny sincerely wanted to make him feel better. "What did you do?" he asked.

"I _almost_ retired right then and there," he admitted.

"But I liked _Fists of Honor_ ," he said, and it was true. "It was more nuanced than _Ninja Mime_ , yet you maintained that high level of intensity that I've come to expect from you in your films. I think that was some of your best work, Johnny."

"I know, right?" he said, scoffing as if he couldn't believe people had criticized his appearance. "I'm aging like fine wine, okay? How can people think that _I'm_ old?"

The Wind God looked him up and down. "Clearly you didn't retire," he said. "Aren't you working on a new film now?"

"Well, I was before all _this_ Reiko crap happened," he chuckled. "But yeah, I realized that maybe I'm not _old_ , per se. But I haven't really changed my look since 2002. And maybe that's why people thought I looked old. My style was _really_ dated. So I got a makeover. It helped. A _lot_."

Fujin lifted an eyebrow. "So you're saying that I should change my look?" he asked. "How? Gods are not supposed to be concerned about such things as physical appearances."

"Dude, it doesn't have to be an extreme makeover," he grinned. "You'd be amazed at what a simple haircut will do for you."

"A haircut…" he murmured thoughtfully, stroking his chin. Himavat had frequently told him that he needed to cut his hair. "Perhaps there is wisdom in your words."

"Stick around, Grandpa, I've got a lot of nuggets of wisdom rattling around up here in this noggin," he said as he clapped Fujin on the back.

XXXXX

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, I was actually less bothered by Sonya dying in the Netherrealm attack than I was about the fact that Sub-Zero had to share his chapter with Scorpion, and _then,_ Scorpion got his own stand-alone chapter on top of that later in the game? That really pissed me off! But point taken. I'm not planning on killing Sonya this time, but we'll see how the mood takes me when it comes to the actual battle. **

**alwaysdoubted, well, I've always tried to be kind to Jade, but at the same time, I have to do what I think is best for the story. But who knows? I might go totally off the rails from the timeline and bring her back somehow, and not as a revenant. Well, for now, Reiko's got what he needs from Outworld. But when it's all said and done, he'll undoubtedly take the party back to his home town LOL And I thought it'd be fun seeing Erron and Kabal work together, and maybe give a little bit more background as to how Erron worked for the Black Dragon to begin with. That's why I made it so that Erron owed Kabal a _huge_ favor. I didn't want him to be able to turn him down. **

**ROCuevas, thanks again, as always!**


	20. Sareena Returns

**Author's Note: Trigger warning - there is a brief scene of torture, so if you're remotely squeamish, you might want to skip over that part.**

 **XXXXX**

When the Earthrealm Champions passed through the gates at Phlegethon, they emerged into the furnace of Netherrealm proper. Here, the dark earth was a blasted badland, lit only by the distant but towering bonfires and rivers of magma glowing orange between the cracked surface. Even still, no lava oozed through them. In spite of the persistent idea that Hell was burrowed deep beneath the earth, this place lacked hanging stalactites from a low ceiling. Indeed, there _was_ an open sky, though it was veiled and clouded, and only a ghastly, distant moon peeked through in spots. The air, they quickly realized, was choked with ash and soot, but also a thick miasma reminiscent of brimstone and roasting flesh hung around them.

None of these features, however, could compare to the most predominant distinction, utterly incalculable by the physical senses but downright torturous on a spiritual level. The heat here was suffocating. It was strangely oily, as if someone had been burning tallow in an indescribable quantity, and the residue of it hung in the air like a grotesque fog. It left a sticky sheen on the skin that was most assuredly not sweat, and a memory of pain in the deepest recesses of the mind. All of the Earthrealmers save for Bi-han, who was used to the harsh and nearly toxic atmosphere, coughed often.

Hellfire.

Kailyn walked beside Tomas, apparently trying to keep watch in every direction at once. "This is a vile place," she finally grimaced after a half an hour, prompting Tomas to hold her hand and squeeze it to reassure her.

"This is the least of what the Netherrealm offers," Bi-han told her. He lifted a slightly melting kori sword before him, pointing, and all of their eyes followed it to the dark palace in the distance.

"I'm surprised those assholes haven't sent out the welcoming committee," Sonya now remarked. She, along with her daughter's special squadron, walked right behind him.

"I'm not," he said as he glanced over his shoulder and looked at her. "They want to keep their power consolidated closer to the castle. Lure us in deeper so that retreat becomes less and less a viable option."

"What if they're not attacking because they're going to listen to what we have to say?" Takeda hopefully asked.

"Don't be naive," he barked.

"Don't be rude," Cassie now snapped.

"If I am rude, Sergeant, it is because your ignorance of such matters is astonishing," he replied. "The four of you do not belong here. Your inexperience and lack of knowledge will only get people killed."

Sonya now bristled in annoyance. "These four have earned the right to be here."

"By whose measuring stick?" he chided.

"Mine," she growled.

He bitterly chuffed at that. "They might be ready for threats that happen inside of Earthrealm," he began. "But this is the Netherrealm. I can assure you that they - or _you_ \- have not been tested here."

"I proved myself more than capable a long time ago," she hissed.

"Must be strange for you to be back home," Stryker now said to him in an obvious effort to diffuse the brewing argument. Then he looked at Tomas. "For you too."

While Bi-han preferred not to dignify that with a response, the cyber-ninja defensively replied, "I don't remember this place at all. And it is _not_ my home."

The Cryomancer sensed through their old psychic connection that his long-time friend was lying. Somewhat. It was true that Tomas didn't remember Netherrealm from his own memories. However, the Enenra inside of his soul felt anxiety returning here after fighting so hard to escape. Strange memories flashed through the cyber-ninja's head, memories that were his but weren't, and all of them were driving him to distraction. Bi-han silently willed him to focus on the mission at hand and quiet the noise in his mind. Then he looked over his shoulder at him and saw him give him a subtle nod of understanding.

He understood, though. From the moment they set foot in the Netherrealm, Noob Saibot was also anxious, though his anxiety was not fear, but rather... _relief_...relief at being home at last. And that joy started to overwhelm him until the line between Bi-han and Noob became blurry like watercolor bleeding through paper. The Cryomancer began to feel he could kill with none of the inhibitions that had held him back these last fifteen years, absolutely murder everyone around him with wild abandon, and worse, he knew that he'd like it. He knew that his shadow growing in power and homicidal delight should scare him, but it didn't. It excited him. He imagined himself hiding deep within Plato's cave, watching the shadows and aching in his soul to hunt what cast them.

 _Can you feel the ties that bind us?_ Noob whispered through his head with a sinister coldness. _Can you feel them tightening? I can, Bi-han, because I am growing strong once more. Set me free._

He winced and tried to shove the wraith's voice away, but it was far too loud and he began to slip. Noob Saibot was just too strong.

And then...Tomas' voice whispered back to him. _Be strong, Bi-han. You were always the strongest of us. Don't let Noob Saibot win._

Startled, he glanced at his friend, who wistfully smiled at him and rested his hand on his shoulder as they walked. No words uttered aloud passed between them, yet inwardly, he heard the Enenra encourage him and reassure him until at last, Tomas' was the only voice he heard and Noob had gone silent once more.

"Bi-han," Raiden quietly spoke so as the others couldn't hear him, "I sense much turmoil in you. Returning to Netherrealm has opened many old scars. I should not have allowed you to come here."

"I do _not_ recall asking for your permission, Thunder God," he replied.

Raiden shook his head in disgust. "Blasphemy runs strong in your family," he drily remarked. "Your brother is as equally contemptuous as you are."

The thought of his brother annoying the gods amused the Cryomancer, and he softly chuckled and allowed himself a small smile. "It is for my brother that I am here," he reminded him.

"Even if it costs you your soul?" he challenged.

"Always," the other said. "Would you not do the same for _your_ brother?"

Now Raiden smiled and nodded. "On that, we agree," he replied. And then, after a moment walking in silence, he said, "You annoy Fujin, Bi-han."

"He needs to get over it," he said as he rolled his eyes. "Our battle in his Temple was a very long time ago."

"He does _not_ like to lose."

"But he's just so good at it," he replied. Then he laughed at his own joke and lifted his eyebrow in amusement at the Thunder God, who did not share in it.

"He felt sorry for you," the other argued.

"Yes, I'm sure that was it," he sarcastically agreed.

More silence followed, and then a new figure stepped from behind a large stone jutting from the ground to the side of the path. He knew the woman. She used to follow him around after he showed her mercy in battle years ago, before he died and became Noob Saibot. She instantly fell in love with him then, and it had been one of those deep, tragic loves that made her so sad and so happy that she chained herself to his fate from that moment on. And he, in his loneliness and weariness of the world and his half-life, had let her. When he'd fallen to shadow on Shang Tsung's island at the hands of Scorpion, this woman threw herself onto his body and held his hand as he faded from the light, even though Quan Chi later dragged her back to the fifth circle of Hell and let the Furies take turns torturing her. And even still, her love for him never waned.

"Sareena," he breathed. He stepped forward to greet her, leaving everyone to stop behind him. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

She sadly smiled. "I could ask _you_ that same question," she replied before she stood on her tip-toes to reach him and planted a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth. When she pulled away, he noted that she was prepared for war with a belt loaded with throwing knives and her dragon-tooth sword strapped to her back. Thick braces shielded her forearms, wrists, and knees.

He inhaled deeply. "You're bringing us a message," he deduced.

She nodded and then tucked her streak of white hair behind her ear with her pinky finger. "Reiko's here, and he's made nice with Ma and Pa Kettle," she reported. "They've agreed to give him Netherrealm's kamidogu and join forces with him to destroy the Earthrealmers who pursue him. So they've instructed _me_ to warn you to turn back because they view you as trespassers. I'd take them up on their offer, Baby. Your mission to sway them to help you is a bust. Fighting them now is only going to get everyone here killed."

Bi-han shook his head. "I can't turn back, Sareena," he told her. "Reiko has Kuai Liang."

She winced. "I know," she murmured. "I saw him. His soul is gone. He is completely under Reiko's control."

"You don't believe that," he countered.

"I don't?" she challenged as she raised her eyebrow.

"No, you don't," he insisted. "And neither do I. I'm coming through Netherrealm to get him, and I don't particularly care what your masters think about it."

She swallowed hard and took a step forward. They were only inches from each other now, and tenderly, she wrapped her fingers around his. " _Please_ , Bi-han," she whispered, her eyes unexpectedly filling with fear. "Don't do this. Leave this place before Reiko takes you too. Or worse, before Emperor Liu Kang and Empress Kitana remake you into Noob Saibot."

"You know I can't do that," he told her in all sincerity, though his heart skipped a beat at the mention of the wraith. Inside, the demon cruelly laughed at his growing fear.

"But you _escaped_ ," she reminded him. "You broke free. Why would you deliberately put yourself in a position to become a slave again? Bi-han, I-"

"You have seen me do more than a few impossible things," he replied as he lifted her hands up and pressed them to his heart. "Have faith in me."

She looked down sadly. "I _do_ have faith in you, Bi-han," she admitted. "I have more faith in you than in anyone."

"So what's the problem?" he asked her.

She looked into his eyes with her rich brown ones then. "The problem is that I was sent to stop you, Baby," she replied as she took a step back and signaled with a flourish of her arm. Immediately, hundreds of Netherrealm warriors and oni stepped to the edge of either ridge above the Earthrealmers and attacked.

Without warning, the demoness produced a fiery purple skull in her palms and loosed it at Bi-han, and it crashed into him in a deafening, fiery explosion. He felt the heat of the blast sear his face as the shockwave carried him into the air and dropped him several feet away. He fell onto his back and gasped for air when the wind was knocked from his lungs, then he clawed at his chest in a futile attempt to pull in oxygen that didn't want to come. A shrill whine filled his ears as he struggled. God, he _must_ be getting old, he admonished himself. How had he not seen that coming? Finally able to breathe again after a painfully long moment, he groaned as he made himself roll onto his tummy.

"Forgive me, my love, for hurting you," Sareena then spoke. "But you have your mission, and I have mine."

"Some mission," he grimaced. "I thought you were done serving masters who care nothing for you."

She shook her head. "It is _not_ for them that I do this," she told him. "It's for you."

"I _must_ save Kuai Liang," he insisted as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Someday, I pray that you'll love me as much as you love your brother, and that you'll care about me enough to rescue me from this place too," she shot back, and now he saw that she was softly crying.

"Then call off your dogs, Sareena," he barked at her. "Stand down. Join us. I will take you with me. _Today_. I promise."

The demoness bitterly scoffed. "How can you promise me that when I can already see Noob Saibot taking over your soul once more?"

Promptly, she charged towards the Cryomancer, giving him the opportunity to jump-kick her in the chest with both feet before springing backwards onto his hands like a gymnast. He then formed a kori knife in each hand and then threw both at her, crouching into his usual fighting stance as one plunged into her chest and the other into her shoulder. Sareena screeched loudly as she staggered to the side, and somewhere deep inside of him, Noob laughed at her pain in a chorus of ungodly voices. He was rapidly growing strong again, and Bi-han could no longer keep him contained. Not here in Netherrealm.

"You're pathetic," the demon wraith jeered at her as she slowly yanked the knives out. Black blood stained it.

"How quickly you proved my point, Bi-han," she winced as she threw the blade from her shoulder to the ground and then stomped it, crushing it.

The Cryomancer dropped to a knee and wrapped his arms around his own gut, his eyes squeezed shut as he inwardly fought to wrestle back control from Noob. "Sareena," he grunted in his normal voice. "Help." His hands drifted to his temples and hair curled through his clenched fingers as if the motion could will the demon back to the void.

"Don't worry, Baby. I'm going to save you. I'm going to beat that devil from your heart once and for all," she pitilessly replied.

At least five feet short of him, the demoness suddenly leapt into the air and tackled Bi-han, smashing him into the ground so hard that the other didn't even fight at first when she started beating in his face. Blood quickly smeared around his cheeks, dribbling from his nose and a new cut ripping through his forehead. It was a small wound, all things considered, but it wept like a stuck pig. She recovered from the crash-landing before he did, and she quickly kneed him in the face and knocked him onto his back. More blood spilled from his face, this time from his mouth. She stood over him to continue her attack on him.

But the Cryomancer had other ideas. He finally blocked a shot and then drove his palm into the underside of her chin when she leaned down to grab him, deftly knocking her off his body. Then he swung his kori sword at her head, and she barely leaned back in time before her lover decapitated her. Sareena rolled backwards until she found herself on her knees again, and then crouching, her hands began to glow orange with fiery power and she launched into his gut with her fist leading. With a startled cry, he flew backwards and crashed hard on his butt.

"It's too late for me, Baby, but Raiden _freed_ you," she said as he kipped up. "I'm not letting you come back here, do you hear me?"

Before Bi-han could reply, she lunged at him with an inhuman scream. The Cryomancer stood ready to deflect the blow, but Noob beat him to the punch. Calmly, he flicked his arm as if conducting a symphony, and Saibot obeyed the gesture, blocking the demoness' attacks. For a moment, the wraith gracefully skirted around her, dodging and deflecting her attacks, circling her and keeping her on the defensive while Bi-han recovered his footing.

Somehow, she danced past Saibot and attacked the Cryomancer with yet another flaming purple skull lobbed right at his middle. As if anticipating the move, Bi-han, whose powers were now waffling between ice and death, leapt to the side before back-flipping into a tarry portal behind him, easily avoiding her flaming skull. A split-second later, he reappeared behind Sareena and caught her off-guard as he threw a left, right, and left punch all in a row before she finally leaned back and avoided the next blow. Undeterred, he threw yet another punch, but this time the demoness deflected the hit and slammed her own fist into her lover's face.

Bi-han groaned but she quickly followed with a hard punch to his gut. Suffocating pain swelled from his belly, and he crumpled slightly as she took advantage of the opportunity, grabbed him by the shoulders, and threw him against the rock wall that the oni had attacked from. Loose rocks fell over his shoulders and some pinged his head, but he was not terribly wounded by any of them. Sareena charged at him while he was momentarily stunned, but he rose up and scooped her over his shoulder, dashing with her until he shoved her into the opposite wall.

This time, he threw his arm out at the demoness, hoping to freeze her to unconsciousness. But as if it were a tangible thing with a mind of its own, Saibot bolted from his body instead and ran like a freight train at her. It caught her around her waist, easily lifted her up, and drove her into a jagged boulder nearby as hard as it could. Bi-han heard her bones crunch loudly as the shadow faded back into oblivion, and she moaned in pain as she slid to the ground, clutching her side.

"You cannot kill what is already dead," Noob's husky voice told her as he stood above her, cruelly looking down upon her.

"But you're not dead anymore, are you Bi-han?" she gasped and struggled to get to her feet. "Raiden pulled you back and gave you life again." When she finally stood again, she hunched over the rock, clearly in agony. "You beat Noob Saibot once, Baby. I know you can do it again."

The wraith seemed to think her remark terribly funny, and burst out in sinister laughter. "I am Noob Saibot," he said in his legion of ghastly voices. "Bi-han is _nothing_ without me."

"Bi-han is your better," she retorted.

Enraged, he charged her once more, but this time she caught him by the neck and shoved him backwards with an angry open-palmed blow to the face. It did little but annoy him. Quickly, he grabbed the demoness and kneed her in the gut with all the force his leg could muster, knocking her onto her back where she writhed in pain. Tears, he saw, even streaked down her face. Something strange flexed inside of him, then. Something like guilt.

But Noob bitterly shoved it away.

Fiercely, he lobbed a blue-black ball of energy at her, fully expecting it to freeze her into a block of ice. But he had been wrong. It wreaked more havoc on her body instead, and she was helpless and paralyzed as she began to scream in agony. The relentless wraith then grabbed her by the shoulders, and suddenly, he was dragging her through tarry darkness, like they were falling through molasses. She flailed around futilely in his arms, frantically trying to hit him or break free, but failing. They fell for what felt like forever through the black, sticky goop before finally emerging back on the battlefield, crashing head-first into the scorched dirt. Sareena struggled to stand, but she was promptly punched again, and she fell once more.

As Bi-han produced a kori sword and held it to destroy her, he saw her whimpering on the ground in pain and fear, and something then fractured inside of him. And worse, he quickly realized, it had fractured so completely that he knew there would never be any hope of repairing it. His anger instantly vanished, and it dragged Noob Saibot back to that oily pit lodged in his heart without a second thought. And when it was gone, he collapsed to his knees and gathered Sareena in his arms.

"Oh, God, Sareena, what did I do?" he demanded to know, his stomach churning with guilt to see the pain he'd inflicted on her. He buried his face in her hair and began rocking her, all while begging for her forgiveness.

"Retreat!" he heard another female's voice cry out, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw Kia and Jataaka motioning for their militia to fall back. The Earthrealm Champions, he saw, had won the skirmish.

"Please just leave, Bi-han," she wept when he returned his attention to her. "Don't let him destroy you. Please, Baby." She winced and closed her eyes as Kia jogged to him with her boomerang blades poised to throw at him.

"Get away from her, damn you!" she yelled.

Immediately, Bi-han laid Sareena on the ground and backed away slowly with his hands in the air to show Kia that he meant no harm. He'd already done enough of harming innocent people today. He swallowed a ball of thorns growing in his throat. If guilt caused heartache, the Cryomancer decided, then he'd definitely experienced it. Seeing Sareena hunched over and crying for probably the first time in her really long life made him feel like the worst person in the world, even worse than Noob Saibot. With her tear-streaked face in her hands, she looked so fragile, so vulnerable, so...human. But when Kia curled her hand around her commander's arm, the demoness rose to her feet proudly, even as she pressed her hand to her side once again.

"There is no reason to come any further into Netherrealm," she strained to say as Raiden and the others now joined the Cryomancer. "Turn away before you are all destroyed." And with that, she limped away through a portal Kia had conjured, leaving Bi-han to loathe himself more than he already did.

"Bi-han…" Tomas' voice trailed off as he went to his side and gripped his shoulder, but the Cryomancer just angrily shrugged it off.

"What did you do?" Raiden sternly asked him, and all the other Champions' eyes were on the two of them.

"I did what I had to," he curtly replied.

The Thunder God bit his lip and furiously shook his head. "I _told_ you what would happen if you ever-"

"I am _not_ in the mood for a lecture," he hissed. "What's done is done. I'm managing."

 _Barely_ , he heard Tomas' voice in his head. Angrily, he whipped his head around to look at his friend. They cyber-ninja merely frowned and shrugged.

"And how soon before you fall back to the shadow completely and turn against us?" Raiden demanded to know.

Bi-han swiveled his head back to him with a scowl. "I told you, I'm managing."

"Then why would you do what you did to the only woman you've ever loved?" Tomas asked aloud.

The Cryomancer glared at him. "I don't love her-"

"Oh, who are you trying to fool?" he replied before he pointed to his temple, reminding him of their connection.

He glowered at the cyber-ninja. "She attacked me and I hadn't expected Noob to take control like that," he told them all, though he looked straight at Tomas. "Now that I know that he's going to try, I will be ready for him. So this conversation is over."

"Then we should discuss what our next course of action is going to be," the young Shaolin monk named Kung Jin said. "Raiden, it'd be foolish to continue on further if Reiko has already joined forces with Netherrealm."

"I believe that was a clever feint to trick us into leaving," Raiden replied. "I do not believe they were telling us the truth."

"Is that what you think?" Bi-han bitterly scoffed. He shook his head angrily.

"Oh, is the Big Bad Wolf afraid of some demons?" Cassie chided him, prompting him to whirl around and stalk towards her. Immediately, Jin, Takeda, Sonya, and Jacqui protectively surrounded her, none of whom deterred him.

"Your mother should probably take this moment to remind you that the Netherrealm demons are afraid of _me_ ," he snarled. "And I would remind you that I'm here to save my brother, with or without you. I'm staying, regardless of whether the rest of you run away. But I absolutely believe Sareena."

"Dude, I know she's your girlfriend, but she's a _demon_ ," the Sergeant argued.

"Yeah," Jacqui now threw in, saying, "and what if _you're_ not yourself right now? What if you're Noob Saibot just stringing us along so that we'll leave and your asshole bosses can conquer all of us without any resistance?"

Bi-han scoffed at that. "I'm going to find my brother. I don't care what the rest of you do," he said as he stormed away. "But whatever you do, I wouldn't linger long. Liu Kang might send more of the oni to attack you."

"I'm going with you," Tomas declared.

"As am I," Kailyn agreed, joining her husband's side as they trotted alongside Bi-han.

"Me too," Stryker said. "KL would do the same for any of us."

Bi-han looked at him and slightly bowed his head in thanks. "Let's go," he said, leading them once again.

XXXXX

"What do you mean," Emperor Liu Kang growled, " _you failed_?"

"Precisely what it sounds like, my Lord," Sareena struggled to breathe as she crouched before him on one knee. Her broken ribs wobbled beneath her hand every time she drew in air. She bowed her head, not out of deference towards her master, but just because it was easier for her like that. "The Earthrealmers defeated us and would not be deterred."

"They are marching here as we speak, Emperor," Havik announced. Despite the importance of his declaration, the Cleric sounded delighted, almost giggly, as he hovered over a blood-filled pool in Quan Chi's tower. Then he resumed his work, speaking words in a language no one present knew. Liu Kang and Kitana traded suspicious glares, uncertain what their tentative ally was up to.

"Do not fear the Earthrealmers, Emperor," Reiko now spoke. "As we speak, I am devising a strategy to defeat them. Even Raiden will not make it through an attack on Netherrealm unscathed."

"For your sake, General, you better be telling the truth," Liu replied. Then he looked at Kitana before he pointed to Sareena. "How shall we punish her for her failure?" he asked her.

"Nightwolf," the Empress called to one of her revenant sentinels standing guard at the chamber door, "flog her."

Like an obedient dog, the undead Matokan lifted a heavy cowskin whip from the wall, and trembling, Sareena saw that it had at least twenty long, thick tails that would easily tear open her skin. He then stomped to her and pulled her upright before pointing to her tight leather corset.

"Take it off," he barked at her, and for a long moment, she glared in defiance back at him as if to say, "Make me."

But she would _not_ give him the satisfaction of ripping her clothes off first and _then_ beating her still. She would cling to what dignity she could. She inhaled as deeply as her wounded ribs would allow, and then glaring daggers at him, she untied the laces and loosened her corset until at last, it fell to the tile floor and she bared her breasts for all to see. Then, before Nightwolf could order her to turn around, she slowly turned and faced one of Quan Chi's obsidian pedestals and leaned over it, exposing her back to him and his whip.

The first lash came so fast that at first, Sareena's brain didn't register it as fast as her body did, and in what could only have been described as a delayed reaction, her lungs released a harsh, half-stifled yell. Then the second lash came, and pain sheeted through her with blinding intensity. More lashes followed. Ten seconds passed, then twenty, and then thirty. She'd lost count of how many times he'd hit her with the whip. In the thick soup of her brain, there was only fire flaring through her, amplifying to pure lightning every time it jostled her back, shoulder, or neck. She began to howl, though she wasn't even aware of it. And the louder she screamed, the harder he whipped her. Where her blood ran fastest, there he whipped her the longest. And he did not stop until Havik's voice yelled from somewhere far away.

"Shut her up!" she vaguely heard him cry. "I need to concentrate!"

"Enough, Nightwolf," Emperor Liu Kang promptly ordered him, and his servant backed away, still clutching the whip that was now dripping with Sareena's blood.

The demoness collapsed to her knees then, and then she fell onto her stomach, only mildly aware that her blood was rapidly pooling around her. Her thoughts were on Bi-han. He was in her hair, her eyes, her fingers, her heart. She daydreamed about what he was doing, thinking, seeing, smelling, feeling, and somehow, it made the pain better. She could not bear to think about how Noob Saibot was trying to overtake him once more. She knew that if she did, she'd surrender her will to fight and leave it right here on this cold tile floor.

With tear-stained eyes, Sareena managed to twist her head around to look at what Havik was doing. Around the chamber, the candles burned low, snapping like some enraged hound while the others save for Reiko struggled to look in all directions at once. But Havik appeared frozen, save for the beading perspiration on his forehead. An odd breeze, one that seemed to blow upward from the floor, passing through the necromancer's runes etched into the stone, ebbed and flowed around them. And in Quan Chi's pool, beneath the Havik's open palms, the blood began to bubble.

The figure of a person began to rise from it, a red golem made from gore. Slowly, as Havik's strange words grew louder and more urgent, the body coalesced further, growing thicker, until definitive features began to solidify. It quickly became apparent that this was a woman, someone Sareena thought was long dead. Yet, from the desert sands into which her body had rotted, the dark magic and iron will of the Chaosrealm Cleric summoned it back.

The chant emerging endlessly from Havik's throat shifted tone. The blood continued to bubble around the woman, but now it also began to swirl, to pump itself into her body in a way that should never have been possible in nature. It soaked into the woman's pale skin, and for several long moments, the blood surged through her veins and arteries, making them all stand in stark contrast against the white. Her eyelids exploded open, revealing ethereal red light glowing from them. She gasped, taking in her first breath of air in years. And then the lights in her eyes faded to their natural brown, and she slumped in Quan Chi's bloody pool with a startled sigh.

With a wolfish grin, Reiko walked towards her and offered his hand to her. "Welcome back, Skarlet," he said.

 _Elder Gods, no,_ Sareena winced, knowing it would be that much harder for the Earthrealmers to walk out of Netherrealm alive. _Bi-han, run!_

 **XXXXX**

 **MKDemigodZ-Warrior, well, the focus of this story really isn't on Darrius' rebellion, so I only mentioned him in passing. But yeah, I was really excited for _Aftermath_ and the new DLC, and it lived up to my expectations. Unpopular opinion: I kind of liked Sindel as a villain. It seems like in recent years, they've tried hard to ret-con the original bad guys into good guys. It was nice to see her stay a bad guy. That's my hot take. **

**alwaysdoubted, yeah, it's gonna take a big push to get the Seidans involved. And thanks, I was just really inspired by Fujin's appearance and personality in _Aftermath_ , so I had to incorporate some of that. Especially his intros with Johnny Cage. **

**reptalitator, lol, I'm not sure if it matters if she was a friend or a prostitute, but yeah, she was a prostitute. I'm on the fence about actually having Fujin cut his hair. And come on, even in the darkest of times you've gotta crack jokes or you'll go insane ;)**

 **Obelisk of Light, yeah, Morgan's a good kid, but even she's gotta let loose and mess with her dad a bit lol We'll see what I do to Fujin's hair. This is going to be my new "what's gonna happen to Erron's hat?" that I did to Hell on Training Wheels in _Ascension_. **

**ROCuevas, thank you!**

 **the-06, no, I sure didn't see that! And I'm glad you're caught up now. I hope my story continues to entertain you!**


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